Indonesian Parliament to Question Ministry on New University's Establishment

Indonesia's House of Representatives (DPR) is set to summon the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek) for a detailed explanation of the newly established University of the Republic of Indonesia (URI). The ministry's recent announcement of URI's formation, including the appointment of its governor and deputy governor, has prompted calls for transparency from lawmakers.

According to Hetifah Sjaifudian, Chair of Commission X of the DPR, the clarification session will take place after the legislative recess in mid-August. The ministry will be required to provide a comprehensive overview of URI's concept, legal foundation, governance structure, funding sources, and developmental trajectory. Particular attention will be paid to the reported plan to establish as many as 10 URI institutions nationwide.

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We will ask Kemendiktisaintek to provide a comprehensive explanation regarding the concept, legal basis, governance, funding sources, and development direction of URI, including if there is indeed a plan to establish up to 10 Universities of the Republic of Indonesia.

Hetifah stated that the DPR has not yet received official notification regarding URI's establishment, underscoring the public's right to understand the urgency and rationale behind its creation. Commission X is particularly concerned about potential overlaps in function and authority with existing higher education institutions, stressing that any new entity should bolster the national higher education ecosystem rather than fragment it.

President Prabowo Subianto recently inaugurated Donny Ermawan and Yos Sunitoyoso as URI's Governor and Deputy Governor, respectively. Ermawan currently serves as Deputy Minister of Defense, while Sunitoyoso is an academic from the Bandung Institute of Technology. The government, through Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, explained that URI is designed to cultivate future leaders for government positions, drawing inspiration from similar leadership education models in other countries.

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In principle, Commission X supports any innovation aimed at improving the quality of higher education and human resource development. Of course, such policies need to be formulated transparently and based on national needs, and become part of the grand design for Indonesia's educational development.