Unhas Student News Drop Out Due to MBG Hoax Criticism

BGN office / Photo: IST

JAKARTA - The Head of Public Relations of the Unhas Secretariat Office, Ishaq Rahman in Makassar, Sunday, said that disinformation or hoax news circulating on various social media accounts has the potential to damage Unhas' reputation as an institution, which has an impact on thousands of academicians and other related entities.

He explained that the emergence of the hoax news began with the demonstration of Unhas students at the Rectorate on Thursday (11/6).

The action took place peacefully, although interspersed with small actions that could still be tolerated in the form of damage to campus facilities. Unhas through the Public Relations Department received students and provided explanations for a number of public criticisms and questions.

After the action, information began to circulate stating that as many as 28 Unhas students were sanctioned for dropping out. Some others received threats of suspension.

'There are parties who distort facts, and build new narratives through the process of 'information spinning' where unrelated facts are made to seem related,' he said.

He emphasized that in fact there was no sanction for drop out or suspension for students who were involved in the demonstration against MBG.

According to him, Unhas is not an anti-critical institution. Unhas' involvement in this priority program is a manifestation of the social responsibility of universities, based on the Impact Campus paradigm, and also on the basis of academic and rational considerations.

Various health research both in and outside the country shows that the approach to nutritional intervention has a much greater impact on improving human resources than investment in educational infrastructure.

Unhas' involvement in the management of the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) was followed by a new approach. This step is an official, open, and criticizable policy.

"We hope that constructive criticism will open up space for continuous improvement," he said.