goodmorningpapua.com – Civitas Academika from a number of private universities in the LLDIKTI XIV Papua – West Papua, Friday (18/2/2022), visited the Ukrida campus in Jakarta. This visit was to see the implementation of Independent Learning of Independent Campus/Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM).
In his remarks, a Deputy Chancellor I Ukrida Dr. Lidia Sandra as Deputy explained the MBKM program by Ukrida. Ukrida shared the experience of MBKM from the preparation, implementation to the results achieved, and acknowledged that MBKM implementation was very dynamic.
“Ukrida in terms of cross-scientific research obtained the first rank in the MBKM program, and this experience will also be shared on how to get that rank. The rankings were obtained based on the results of the seminar on the Implementation of the Research Program on MBKM policy implementation, and Community Service based on research results and several PTS prototypes some time ago,” said Lidia.
Lidia continued, that the basis of universities to implement the MBKM policy is Permendikbud No. 3 of 2020 concerning the right of students to study outside campus. On that basis, Ukrida made preparations and identified that there was a broken link between the competencies taught and the needs and progress in the world of work, or it could be said that the essence of the MBKM policy was because students were not yet ready to engage in the world of work.
“Therefore, through MBKM, students prepare themselves by choosing a path that matches their passion. Getting out of their comfort zone will make students more developed and feel the sensation of learning directly in the real world,” said Lidia.
It was also explained that there is no semester limit for starting the MBKM program. As long as the students are prepared, the curriculum is supportive and flexible, the MBKM program can be implemented.
According to Lidia Sandra, the main homework for most campuses is to validate the curriculum. Most campuses start from the fifth semester, the most important thing is that there are no problems in converting and equating, whether to free form, structured form, or Blended form.
“In its implementation, it is necessary to form a Task Force Team as the person in charge who is in charge of assisting every step, starting from registration to students receiving announcements, as well as evaluating and supervising. Implementation steps do not have to be carried out all, the less the better,” said Lidia.
The initial meeting taking place in the rectorial meeting room was quite formal, although still relaxed, but moved to the Junction which happened to be inaugurated recently. The relaxed atmosphere became more intimate, interspersed with Papuan folk music and songs.
All participants, both guests and hosts, really enjoyed this intimate discussion and sharing atmosphere. Some problems are indeed faced by private universities in the LLDIKTI XIV Papua – West Papua, including the position of customary issues in the implementation of education, and in implementing MBKM, but they only have five semesters.
In addition, there is a payment problem where many students ask to make payments in installments. Dr. Oktavia as a Deputy Chancellor II of Ukrida in charge of finance gave a response that the same thing was experienced by Ukrida. There were also university leaders who did not understand how to implement MBKM or where to start, and asked Ukrida for guidance.
Meanwhile, Dr. Lidia Sandra said that she would be happy to help, there was even a discourse on conducting a lecturer exchange. Yet once again, in a warm discussion session, it seems as if the problems faced are optimistic that they can be resolved with the spirit of togetherness. Ukrida also put himself in a position to embody the motto of Lead To IMPACT in sharing experiences, which was warmly welcomed by Papuan brothers.
Meanwhile, a coordinator of BKP Apprenticeships, Olfien Wilsyie Riruma, said that the students most interested in were BKP Apprentices and BKP Independent Studies. Indeed, before that, you have to be very careful in understanding the rules of the game and coordinating them with the participating students. Meanwhile, Ukrida students participating in the MBKM Teaching Campus (Vincent and Tirza) also shared their invaluable experiences in being able to participate in this program, especially the university was very supportive in terms of facilities and convenience.
“The challenge is that the targeted schools in implementing the MBKM Teaching Campus program are those that are not yet accredited, and still lack facilities and infrastructure,” said Olfien.
Closing this meeting, there is a word of hope so that the MBKM program can be carried out as well as possible as part of an effort to encourage students to excel in creativity. In addition, it also continues to support efforts to educate the nation as mandated in the law. With the same determination, he echoed “Jakarta and Papua for Indonesia” in implementing MBKM.