Education Minister Nadiem Makarim Says Ferienjob Not Part of Merdeka Internship Program

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Anwar Makarim denied that ferienjob was part of the Merdeka Learning (MBKM) program. Nadiem also assessed that ferienjob did not meet the criteria for MBKM as set out by the ministry. Ferienjob is a part-time work program in Germany currently suspected of being a front for human trafficking. 

"Many programs are misinterpreted as MBKM, but it (ferienjob) is not MBKM," Nadiem Makarim said during a working meeting of the House of Representatives Commission X in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.

Director General of Vocational Education at the Ministry of Education, Kiki Yuliati, said that ferienjob is regulated in Article 14 (2) of the German Labor Ordinance as a work activity on official semester breaks. This activity is aimed at filling the shortage of physical labor in Germany, as well as an experience for students during their vacation. The work period is a maximum of 90 days, within 12 months, during the semester break in the original country and cannot be extended.

According to Kiki, these facts reinforce that ferienjob is completely unrelated and not part of the MBKM program. The internship program included in the MBKM, she said, is not held during the semester break because it must contribute to students' academic grades. 

In addition, internships in MBKM must also be related to their study programs to strengthen their competencies.

"This is experiential learning so physical labor (such as ferry jobs) are often not suitable for MBKM," Kiki said during the meeting, as quoted from Antara, yesterday.

Previously, the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) of the National Police investigated a case of alleged human trafficking under the guise of student internships in Germany. At least 1,047 students from 33 universities in Indonesia were allegedly victims of the ferienjob program organized by PT Sinar Harapan Bangsa and PT CV-GEN. 

The police have named five suspects in this case, namely Jambi University professor Sihol Situngkir, President Director of PT Sinar Harapan Bangsa Enik Rutita alias Enik Waldkonig, owner of CV GEN Amsulistiani alias Ami Ensch, and two lecturers from Jakarta State University (UNJ), with initials AJ and MZ. 

SULTAN ABDURRAHMAN

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