The Chancellor of the agricultural university Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) and Chair of the 2020 Indonesian Chancellors Forum, Prof. Arif Satria, and Prof. Rochmat Wahab visited UGM Chancellor Prof. Panut Mulyono. They also had a tour of the UGM campus in preparation for the Indonesian Chancellors’ Forum (FRI) congress at UGM in July 2021.
As a candidate for the relay for the chairman of the FRI, Panut Mulyono confirmed this visit discussed the plans for the FRI congress. He said the issue of education amid a pandemic would be one of the main themes of the FRI meeting in July 2021.
Admit it or not, he said, the quality of education has been relatively declining due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, universities should not immediately continue to open face-to-face lectures but think about ways to strengthening the education system to improve the quality of education during a pandemic.
“Yes, we discussed the congress plan for the Indonesian Chancellor’s Forum. Mr. Arif is now the chairman of FRI. I will continue his position later at the congress as I will be elected FRI chairman next year,” said the UGM Chancellor, Monday (21/6) in his office.
Besides discussing the date of the congress, Panut said this visit also arranges public figures who will be invited to the event. It is hoped that at the congress, President Jokowi will be able to attend and open the 2021 Indonesian Chancellors Forum.
“We also expect Prof. Wahab as a member of the FRI Honorary Council to provide suggestions and advice for the FRI organization in the future,” he said.
The Chancellor of IPB, Prof. Arif Satria, Chair of the 2020 Indonesian Chancellor Forum stated the same thing. Besides the gathering, he also discussed the preparations for the congress with the UGM Chancellor as a candidate to replace the General Chair of the FRI.
“Insha Allah, Mr. Panut will be officially confirmed as the general chairman of FRI in July at the congress. This visit will discuss preparations, agendas and organizational arrangements, and programs that should be continued. These include programs that have been initiated with the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Palestinian Ambassador,” he said.
Arif Satria said that they discussed many things with the hope that the sustainability of the FRI program would later run well. In addition, it also prepares recommendations related to education, economics, politics, and the urgency of the main points regarding the direction of the state.
“That will later become a focus. The President and the public will be informed about the importance of the main points of the state’s policy as a reference for the direction of Indonesia’s development,” he explained.
According to him, the most crucial thing that needs to be highlighted by FRI at this time is pandemic issues and freedom of learning because freedom of learning requires a stronger regulatory framework in its implementation.
“Indeed, there are laws, government regulations, and Regulations of the Minister of Education and Culture (Permendikbud), but it is necessary to review the extent of their relevance for Independent Campus. If we can formulate the implementation of an independent campus, it will make universities in Indonesia more flexible and easier. This is because the regulatory framework is clear and very conducive,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Prof. Rochmat Wahab stated that the FRI management conducted a campus survey before the FRI meeting. This visit was to determine which building or room to use if the FRI congress is held offline.
Source: https://ugm.ac.id/id/berita/21281-rektor-ugm-dan-ipb-university-bahas-konggres-fri-2021
