Klojen (malangkota.go.id) – Malang State University (UM) is one of the universities that received funding for the 4 in 1 Project from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). In the 4 in 1 Consortium, Malang State University is tasked with becoming a Center of Excellence in the field of Learning Innovation and has received funding worth 48,2 million USD.
Three other universities included in the IsDB 4 in 1 Project are Jember University, Mulawarman University and Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University. Each university has Center of Excellence (CoE) with specific themes that must be developed based on their strengths and potential.
Jember University will carry out CoE for Bio-Technology, Mulawarman University will build CoE for Tropical Studies, while Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University will become CoE for Food Security.
Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education Mohamad Nasir emphasized that IsDB's 4 in 1 funding at Malang State University (UM) must be utilized as well as possible, not only used to build physical facilities but also to strengthen the quality of human resources at UM.
"We all hope that this investment will be capital as an effort to increase the nation's competitiveness in entering the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era. Universities need to continue to strive to increase synergy with industry players and the community. This synergy will provide maximum contribution to the progress of the nation and answer the problems faced by the nation," said Minister Nasir at the Groundbreaking event for the Construction of the UM Joint Lecture Building, Malang, Monday (17/9).
The Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education added that Malang State University has great potential to play a role for Indonesia in facing the challenges of the Industrial Revolution 4.0. Therefore, learning innovations that are the focus of UM are very strategic in advancing education and will encourage research products to be applied in the world of education and society.
Minister Nasir explained that the industrial revolution 4.0 has brought major changes in various areas of life, including in the education sector. The conventional learning system will transform towards 'online learning'. Therefore, UM, which is the Center of Excellence in the field of Learning Innovation, must be able to explore research that can answer the challenges of learning in the era of the 4.0 revolution.
“In the future it will happen classroom less and borderless. Through the online learning system, one professor can teach a thousand students. Students will not be influenced by lecturers, students can choose lecturers that suit their needs. Therefore, through this Project 4 in 1 IsDB I hope UM can become 'leader' in the field 'learning innovation',” concluded Minister Nasir.
Meanwhile, the Chancellor of Malang State University (UM) AH. Rofi'uddin said that the program in the UM IsDB 4-in-1 Project worth 48,2 million USD will be used for components 'hard program' and 'soft program'.
The 'Hard Program' components include the construction of two joint lecture buildings and their infrastructure, procurement of laboratory equipment and devices, and procurement of scientific books and journals. While the Soft Program components include overseas doctoral scholarship programs, domestic and foreign non-degree programs, curriculum development, credit transfer programs, international accreditation programs, research grants, and research consortia.
The two buildings that were groundbreaking were the Joint Lecture Buildings or Integrated Classroom Buildings. Occupying an area of 3,4 Ha and having a total floor area of 44.917 m2, with almost the same floor area, each building will be built with 9 floors with a layout facing each other.
Rofi'uddin added that the main target of the IsDB 4-in-1 Project at UM is the revitalization of the Educational and Teaching Staff Institutions (LPTK) to support the strengthening of the nation's competitiveness. For the Southeast Asian regional environment, LPTK in Indonesia must be able to prepare graduates who can compete with teacher education graduates from other countries in the region.
"Therefore, through this IsDB 4-in-1 Project, UM as the Center of Excellence for LPTK in Indonesia will and will continue to sharpen the competencies of graduates not only the competencies required by the Law on Teachers and Lecturers, but also referring to the AQRF (Asean Qualification Reference Framework)," said the UM Chancellor.
The UM Chancellor explained that curriculum development is the backbone of learning innovation. The IsDB 4-in-1 Project is a very good momentum for UM to overhaul, revitalize, and develop the curriculum. A curriculum that is not only adaptive to the needs of 21st century competencies, but also a curriculum that can answer the needs of a superior generation in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era.
Residence Representative of South East Asia Regional Hub IsDB Ibrahim Ali Shoukry said that IsDB plays an active role in supporting the development of the quality of Indonesian human resources through higher education. Ibrahim said that IsDB has collaborated with 50 universities in Indonesia, both state and private. The 4 in 1 Project at UM is expected to produce research in the field of learning innovation to support the Sustainable Development Goals in Indonesia. This 4 in 1 Project provides qualified educational facilities to produce competitive graduates.
Also present at the event were Secretary of the Directorate General of Science and Technology Resources and Higher Education John Hendri, Director of Facilities and Infrastructure Sofwan Effendi, UM academics, and other invited guests. (Bureau of Cooperation and Public Communication of the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education and Malang State University)
