Minister of Education and Culture: Universities Must Become Centers of Enlightenment and Drivers of Civilization
JAKARTA - The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education of the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Dr. Abdul Mu'ti, M.Ed., emphasized that the age of 70 is not a phase of decline, but a period of maturity of institutions. He conveyed this during the 70th Anniversary Summit of the University of Muhammadiyah Jakarta (UMJ).
The activity, which carries the theme "Moving Civilization, Enlightening the Nation: Synergy, Collaboration, Contribution", took place on Monday, December 15 at the K.H. Ahmad Azhar Basyir, M.A., Auditorium, Cendekia Building UMJ, Ciputat, South Tangerang.
"This 70-year-old age is not a twilight, but a phase of strength and maturity to make a greater contribution to civilization," said Abdul Mu'ti, in an official release received by VOI, Monday, December 15, 2025.
He emphasized that the development of civilization must be based on synergy, collaboration, and real contributions, with education as its strategic instrument.
"Education should not only prepare graduates to be able to follow changes, but must go beyond and manage the changes themselves," said the Chairman of the Daily Management Agency (BPH) of UMJ.
Furthermore, the Secretary General of the PP Muhammadiyah explained that a strong civilization is built on four main foundations, namely faith, science, art or aesthetics, and morality.
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"Faith without knowledge will produce weakness, while knowledge without faith will cause problems. Both must go hand in hand, enriched with imagination, creativity, and the courage to innovate," he said.
According to him, art and aesthetics play an important role in building creativity, while morality is the main support so that progress does not lose its direction. In the context of higher education, he emphasized that universities must be able to create independence, open up employment opportunities, and present concrete solutions to community needs.
"Universities must be centers of enlightenment and drivers of civilization, not just ivory towers," Mu'ti said.
In the institutional aspect, Mu’ti also reminded the importance of integrity and good governance.
"Transparency, accountability, and the courage to avoid corruption and conservative attitudes that hinder progress are absolute requirements," he said.
He emphasized that with a collaborative culture, sustainable innovation, and strong moral commitment, UMJ has great capital to continue contributing to the nation and state.
In line with this, Member of the BPH UMJ, Prof. Din Syamsuddin expressed his optimism about UMJ's performance. He assessed that UMJ showed significant progress, both in terms of infrastructure and the quality of graduates, and encouraged UMJ, which had achieved superior accreditation in 2024, to take a step further.
"UMJ needs to design strategic steps towards a world class university through strengthening international cooperation and exchange of lecturers and students," he said.
The peak of UMJ's 70th birthday also became a confirmation of a joint commitment to continue to move civilization and enlighten the nation through progressive education.