Education Minister Nadiem Makarim Says Thesis May No Longer Mandatory for Students
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30 August 2023 09:04 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Nadiem Makarim, the Indonesian Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, launched the 26th episode of Merdeka Belajar (Freedom to Learn) on the Transformation of National Higher Education Standards and Accreditation. One of the major changes in the program is the graduation standards for university students which do not need to be in the form of a thesis or dissertation.
“The National Standards of Higher Education are now simpler. The simplification of regulations exists in the scope of standards, graduate competency standards, and learning and assessment process standards so that universities can focus more on enhancing the quality of the Tri Dharma (three missions) of higher education,” Nadiem said as quoted from the Education Ministry's YouTube broadcast, on Tuesday, August 29, 2023.
The new policy is contained in the Ministerial Regulation No. 53 of 2023 concerning Quality Assurance in Higher Education.
Nadiem explained that each university is allowed to formulate three competency points in an integrated manner. Initially, the competencies of attitude, general knowledge, and skills were formulated separately and in detail.
As for the final project, the minister stressed that writing a thesis or publishing papers in accredited scientific journals or prestigious international journals may not be mandatory. Each student, he added, could work on a final assignment in the form of a prototype project, a project, or other forms.
According to Nadiem Makarim, if an undergraduate or applied study program has implemented a project-based learning curriculum or other forms, then these final assignments could be eliminated.
Chairul Hudaya, the Rector of Sumbawa Technical University, supported the standard change. “We have the answer today. Through the trust given to the university, we can certainly determine attitudes and general and specific skills. This provides flexibility for campuses without lowering the quality of learning,” Chairul said, emphasizing that higher education in the Eastern Indonesia region faces different challenges from other regions.
NINIS CHAIRUNNISA
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