Thousands of IPB Students Going down to Villages

IPB Rector Prof. Dr. Herry Suhardiyanto released thousands of students in the program called "Students Going to Villages", Sunday (20/11) on the yard of Rectorate Building, Dramaga Campus of IPB Bogor. This activity was simultaneously to close the series of activities in the 48th Anniversary of IPB.

Rector in his speech said, this activity recalls the role of IPB students in the 1960’s where at that time the concern of IPB students over the rural development generated the concept of BIMAS (Mass Guidance), which was then adopted by the government and successfully brought Indonesia into rice self-sufficiency.

"Today IPB students again show their concern by going down to villages, independent from the Semester Credit Units (SCU) or curriculum, and this is really for the love of the rural people and agriculture. Build friendship with the villagers and loved them, and I hope you will become part of the solution to the problems afflicting this nation," said Rector in front of the enthusiastic participants.

Head of Sub Directorate of Interests, Talent and Reasoning, IPB Directorate of Student Affairs, Bambang Riyanto, S. Pi, M.Sc., who is also the organizing committee of "Students Going Down to Villages” said that the students participating in this program come from dozens of student organizations. These include Student Executive Council of Student Family (BEM KM) IPB, BEM of Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPIK), BEM of Faculty of Animal Husbandry (Fapet), BEM of Faculty of Forestry (Fahutan), Diploma programs, and 35 Professional Associations (Himpro) from various departments of IPB.

The students go to the villages around the Dramaga campus of IPB, Taman Sari, Leuwiliang, Ciamis and Pelabuahan Ratu. Bambang Riyanto said the number of students participating in these activities exceeds the target, i.e. one thousand students. Meanwhile the community involved reaches five thousand people, consisting of farmers’ groups, posyandu (Integrated Health Service), PKK cadres, and students of high school, junior high and elementary schools.

Present in the release of this activity were IPB Vice Rector for Academic and Student Affairs Prof. Yonny Koesmaryono, IPB Executive Secretary Dr. Bonny PW Sukarno, Head of Student Resources Development Center (P2SDM) LPPM IPB Dr. Pudji Muljono, and President of BEM KM IPB Reza Pahlavi.

Shortly after the official release, the participants were directly standby to go to the destination villages prepare respectively. Not only the students but also Rector went down to the village.

Sengked village of Babakan District, which is the neighboring village from the campus, became the first to visit by Rector. Here, he did not hesitate to get into small alleys to be able to meet with villagers, and he visited the location of the Waste Bank, the flag program of excellence for the village.

The next visit by Rector was to the Village of Cikarawang, which has achieved the second ranking nationally in the competition of Unity Movement (Kesrak) of PKK (Family Welfare Program)and Family Planning. Rector directly observed the activities of the students participating in "Going down to the Village", who were giving assistantship to villagers about agriculture in the broad sense.

During the direct visit to the two villages, Rector expressed his appreciation to the students who have given great attention to the community. "This is good, and IPB is certainly very supportive to what has been done by students in the village," added the Rector accompanied by ES of IPB Dr. Bonny.

Meanwhile in another village, equally interesting programs are offered by these students. In the Village of Cibanteng in Ciampea District, for example, they have the program called "Local Tropical Fruit Production from the Home Yard". In Pelabuhan Ratu, Suhabumi Regency the students introduce " Technology of Modifying Light Cover and Potentiometer Tools to Increase Fish Capture".

In the Village of Petir,  Dramaga District, the students invite elementary students to get to know the climate and the environment. In this village they also introduce the program known as "Building a Cadre of Forestry"(Mtd).