UMY Stresses Regulation and Leadership for Smart Village Success

Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) is highlighting the critical role of cross-sector collaboration and effective village leadership in driving the digital transformation necessary for smart villages. The university stresses that higher education institutions must directly contribute to improving public services.

The program, themed 'Leadership and Governance of Village Organizations Towards Smart Villages,' served as a platform for universities, practitioners, and government officials to discuss strengthening local governance for a more directed, professional, and adaptive approach to digital transformation. Dyah Mutiarin, a lecturer at UMY's Government Science Study Program, stated, "To improve services for the community, collaboration is needed between universities and stakeholders at the provincial and city levels. The impact of the university must be directly felt by the community and stakeholders."

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To improve services for the community, collaboration is needed between universities and stakeholders at the provincial and city levels. The impact of the university must be directly felt by the community and stakeholders.

Beyond collaboration, adaptive village governance hinges on the leadership of the village head or chief, who holds ultimate policy-making authority. Awang Darumurti, Head of the Government Science Study Program, explained, "The village head as leader has the authority to make policies, both at the village level and when decentralized to the hamlet level. The implementation of a smart village or intelligent village governance must be based on its regulations first."

Darumurti further noted that without village leaders' commitment to enacting supportive regulations, the smart village concept cannot be optimized. Regulations are the primary gateway before addressing infrastructure, enhancing human resources, and strengthening village organizations. He identified infrastructure, especially internet connectivity, as a major hurdle, requiring significant village fund allocation and often facing challenges in budget alignment and approval from village consultative bodies. Additionally, the digital literacy of village officials is crucial for implementing smart village initiatives effectively. UMY aims to provide strategic support and capacity building to help overcome these obstacles.

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The village head as leader has the authority to make policies, both at the village level and when decentralized to the hamlet level. The implementation of a smart village or intelligent village governance must be based on its regulations first.