Indonesia Establishes New University to Cultivate Future Leaders

President Prabowo Subianto has announced the establishment of the Universitas Republik Indonesia (URI), appointing Defense Vice Minister Donny Ermawan as its Governor and scientist Yos Sunitoyoso from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) as Deputy Governor. URI is positioned as an institution to cultivate future leaders for government agencies and state-owned enterprises (BUMN). According to Governor Donny, URI will consolidate and strengthen existing educational institutions, with plans to establish ten "Garuda Campuses" in Bogor. The university is modeled after France's École nationale d'administration (ENA), now the Institut National du Service Public (INSP), aiming to foster both technical capabilities and national perspective in future leaders. Under URI, three bodies will be established: the National Education Management Agency, the Elite School Management Agency, and the Higher Education Institution Management Agency, with the National Administration Agency (LAN) being reorganized. Notably, LAN will expand its training, previously for civil servants (ASN), to include candidates for state-owned enterprises (BUMN). The URI campus is slated for construction on a former palm oil plantation site in Bogor, West Java, and will award bachelor's degrees like a conventional university. Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi stated that the establishment of URI aims to ensure future Indonesian leaders possess not only technical expertise but also a strong sense of national belonging, serving as a foundation for fulfilling their common mandate for the nation and its people.