Can Indonesia’s universities match its government’s ambitions?
Universitas Indonesia is facing the challenge of scaling its academic and research capabilities to meet the needs of Indonesia's rapidly growing economy. Experts suggest that significant systemic reforms are necessary to modernize the nation's higher education sector.
Why it matters
As Indonesia grows into a major global economy, its ability to produce a skilled workforce through higher education reform is a key indicator of future success.
Indonesia’s national university is an oasis – a green enclave wedged in the dense residential spiderweb of the world’s most populous city.
With three-quarters of its 320 hectares occupied by forests and lakes, Universitas Indonesia (UI)’s main campus boasts its own microclimate – a refreshingly cool retreat for its 42,000 students and 4,000 academics, not to mention monkeys, cobras and water monitor lizards that reputedly reach two metres. Local motorcyclists use the campus as an east-west escape hatch, attracted by its open-door ethos, merciful shade and – by Jakarta standards – extraordinarily unclogged roads.
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