TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Marwan Jafar, the Minister of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration, has called on universities to actively take part in developing rural areas.
Common problems in the villages, he said, is the lack of infrastructures because of the low economic and lack of trainee and educated human resources. Therefore, he said, innovative measures are needed to narrow the gap between human resources in the rural areas and in the cities.
"Universities must be able to empower people in the rural areas in order to create social transformation,” Marwan said in Malang on Friday.
Active participation of the academicians, he said, is expected to be able to improve human resources in the rural areas, and in turn, it will create self-sufficient villages.
He also said that university graduates are also asked to make the most the potentials in the rural areas.
"Most of university graduates from universities in major cities are not willing to return to their villages,” he said.
In fact, he said, rural areas need university graduates in order to maximize potentials in the villages.
FAIZ NASHRILLAH
