He said plagiarism and academic fraud in higher education reflected a troubling trend of unscrupulous opportunism in the pursuit of advancement.

Recent plagiarism scandals, such as those involving the Economics and Business Faculty at Airlangga University, alumni of the University of Jember and the rector of Walisongo State Islamic University, have brought these issues to the forefront.

Furthermore, a professorship scandal at Lambung Mangkurat University in Banjarmasin this year further deteriorated public faith in the country’s academic system.

The case involved the professorship applications of 11 lecturers at the university’s Law Faculty. The investigation found that the lecturers might have submitted academic articles to predatory journals, which are publications that lack rigorous peer review systems and are often exploited for financial gain.

The fallout from the scandal led to Lambung Mangkurat University's accreditation being downgraded and the lecturers’ professor status being revoked.

"The world of higher education must be reconstructed," Haedar said on Sunday, the day of Prabowo’s inauguration, as quoted by tempo.co.

Haedar said reconstructing higher education involved cleansing campuses of unethical practices that could harm the dignity of the education sector, including the sale of academic degrees.

"The conferring of academic degrees damaging the order of the academic world needs to be regulated to maintain the academic dignity of Indonesian higher education," said Haedar.

A recent example involved a doctorate awarded to Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia by the University of Indonesia.

Bahlil received the degree in less than two years, rather than the typical four, raising concerns over its legitimacy.

The university said Bahlil had taken a research-focused degree course that did not require him to attend classes and that this had allowed him to complete the doctoral program faster than was typical.

Haedar urged the Prabwo administration to transform universities into strategic institutions that contributed to the nation's educational goals and ideals. He expressed hope that Prabowo would fulfill his duties faithfully, upholding the Constitution and serving the people with integrity.