TEMPO.CO, Bogor - Minister of Education and Culture M. Nur has requested Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) to open new campuses outside Bogor in a bid to reach more students.

"The success and achievement that IPB has reaped must be spread to the people outside Bogor. Therefore, I have asked the university to open new campuses outside Bogor," said M. Nuh at the commemoration of IPB 50th Anniversary, Friday.

Nevertheless, M. Nuh said that in the near future, the opening of IPB campuses outside Bogor would be prioritized in West Java only. That way, West Java residents outside Bogor would have access to quality and good education. "West Java province still lacks state-owned universities. The province has only eight universities. The number is not enough to meet the demand for good university from the people outside Bogor," M. Nuh said.

The minister cited an example of Tasikmalaya or Cianjur Regency as two regions in West Java that must be prioritized for the opening of new IPB campuses outside Bogor. "If the people do not have to leave their hometown, they will spend less money to go to university compared to having to go to IPB campus in Bogor," he said.

The Ministry of Education and Culture expected the opening of new IPB campuses outside Bogor would be implemented in the near future. "We hope the plan will be materialized in 2014 or in the near future. But we prioritize West Java first. After that, we'll look to regions outside Java," he said.

Asked about the budget for the opening of the new campuses, M. Nuh said the government would have no problem with that. "We do have the budget and we are ready for that," he said.

M SIDIK PERMANA