UMJ Inaugurates Campus in Tulang Bawang, Abdul Mu’ti: Education Must Be Accessible and Quality

Minister of Basic and Secondary Education and Secretary General of the Central Leadership of Muhammadiyah, Abdul Mu'ti/ Photo: IST

JAKARTA - The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education as well as the General Secretary of the Central Leadership of Muhammadiyah, Abdul Mu'ti, emphasized the importance of having superior universities in the region to expand access to quality education.

According to him, the establishment of a superior accredited campus in the region is more effective than building a new university from the beginning. This step is considered able to reduce the phenomenon of "degrees without competence" as well as answering the problems of over education and under education in Indonesia.

"Education must be accessible, affordable, and flexible so that the benefits are truly felt by the community," he said.

Meanwhile, the Rector of the University of Muhammadiyah Jakarta, Ma'mun Murod, emphasized his campus' commitment to expanding access to education through the inauguration of the campus in Tulang Bawang, Lampung.

He said, UMJ currently has 65 study programs and continues to develop new programs, including plans to open additional doctoral programs and PSDKU. UMJ will also involve local sons and daughters as teaching staff to strengthen the quality of local education.

Lampung Deputy Governor, Jihan Nurlela, also appreciated the presence of UMJ in Tulang Bawang. He assessed that the presence of this campus was a strong signal for accelerating regional development, as well as expanding access to education for the community.

"The existence of UMJ in Tulang Bawang further strengthens Lampung's position in the field of education and becomes a new alternative for the community to gain knowledge without having to go to big cities," he said.

The inauguration of this campus is a follow-up to the grant cooperation between the Tulang Bawang Regency Government and Muhammadiyah, covering an area of 10 hectares and supporting facilities.

The presence of the UMJ campus in Tulang Bawang is expected to become an alternative to higher education for the community and strengthen the education ecosystem in the region without having to rely on big cities.