Establishment of Republic of Indonesia University Faces Scrutiny from Education Experts

JAKARTA - The establishment of the Republic of Indonesia University (URI) has garnered significant attention, particularly from observers, following the inauguration of Deputy Minister of Defense Donny Ermawan as its Governor by President Prabowo Subianto. However, the move has also sparked questions regarding its legal basis and potential overlap with existing educational institutions. Public policy expert Agustinus Subarsono from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) emphasized that the establishment of new universities must be free from political interference. Meanwhile, Lina Miftahul, an expert in State Administration from the University of Indonesia (UI), pointed out the unclear legal foundation of URI. Unlike state universities typically formed through Government Regulations (PP) or Presidential Regulations (Perpres), URI's establishment is marked by a Presidential Decree (Keppres) that regulates its leadership appointment. Deputy Minister Ermawan explained that URI's formation stems from President Prabowo's concern for human resource development, aiming to prepare future leaders for government and State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). The university is inspired by France's Institut National du Service Public (INSP) and will focus on strengthening STEM-based education to support the vision of "Golden Indonesia 2045." However, education expert Itje Chodidjah questioned the necessity of establishing URI, suggesting that Indonesia already possesses numerous institutions and universities capable of preparing state officials and civil servants. She questioned what specific gap URI aims to fill, implying it might be a redundant initiative. Concerns have also been raised about URI's role overlapping with existing institutions such as the Institute of Internal Government (IPDN), the State Administration Agency (LAN), and the National Resilience Agency (Lemhannas). Experts urge the government to clarify the division of tasks and coordination among these institutions to prevent jurisdictional conflicts. Subarsono further argued that the debate surrounding URI's establishment should focus on whether it will be an autonomous institution for scientific and technological development or merely a tool for government policy legitimation. He stressed that universities born from a bottom-up process, with strong academic, political, and sociological support from the community, tend to be more robust than those established through a top-down approach.