Dr. Drajat Martianto: IPB Will Formalize Three International Study Programs

Dr. Ir. Drajat Martianto, M.Sc, today (2/2) is inaugurated by the Board of Trustees (MWA) Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) to become Vice Rector for Education and Student Affairs of IPB at IPB Dramaga Campus, Bogor. Dr. Drajat was inaugurated as vice rector after previously serving as Director of Administration and Education of IPB since 2008.

This man from Solo, Central Java, has studied doctorate at University of the Philippines at Los Banos, Philippines and in IPB for undergraduate and master degree programs. Since 1988, he has been a lecturer at the Department of Community Nutrition and Family Resources (GMSK), now called Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Human Ecology (Fema) IPB.

Dr. Drajat had been Vice Dean for IPB (2006-2008) and became Head of Community Nutrition Department (2001-2004). To date, Dr. Drajat is still a researcher at the South East Asia Food and Agriculture System and Technology (Seafast) Center, Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) of IPB. In 2002-2011, Dr. Drajat became Program Manager at Indonesia Fortification Coalition and also became Executive Secretary at Food Nutrition Policy Studies Center (FNPSC) IPB in 1990-1995 and 1999-2001.

As Vice Rector for Education and Student Affairs, Dr. Drajat will focus on strengthening education programs in IPB. Such as formal teaching and learning process (S1, S2 and S3 as well as vocational school) and non formal such as training and student exchange.

"My program has to follow the Rector's program. Our educational challenges ahead are enormous. The world is changing rapidly, maybe there are many things that we have to change, such as change in how to deliver knowledge, science and technology to the students. Education for the millennium generation can not use the old way i.e. too much lecture classes. Students have to be more active. Most of the courses can be accessed by students via the internet or website. So we are heading there, "he said.

For that, it takes careful preparation, ranging from laboratory facilities or other supporting facilities. "The program will be carried gradually, of course, because it requires big investments, big shifting mindsets in lecturers, students and educational staff. The quality standard targets 20 percent of the courses in IPB to be digitized. However, this target can not be completed this year. It should be achieved in five years, since 20 percent of the thousands courses are a lot, "he said.

According to him, continuous improvement should be done right now. But he also realizes that education must also be adapted to new challenges. If there is a change, does not mean that the previous program is not good, but it is due to the challenges of the time we have to face.

Therefore, the international class will now be formalized. This year IPB will open three international classes. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FKH) will approximately open a class for 30-35 students (the enthusiasts come from abroad, especially from Malaysia). The Department of Agricultural Industry Technology (TIN) and the Department of Agricultural Science and Technology (ITP) of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology (Fateta) each will receive 20 students.

"TIN and ITP can accept the Indonesian students, but because this class will be held in English, the students should meet the standard of requirements. The students should undergo the independent entrance for this international program, "he said.

In addition, Dr. Drajat will also undertake arrangement of study program. As a State-Owned University (PTN-BH), IPB has the autonomy to organize its study program. Study programs in postgraduate degree may still be relevant but some are not. IPB will begin to reorganized, whether there is a merger or not.

Character education will also be developed in IPB. We need to strengthen character education on this millenial generation that has begun to show its negative impact. Youth nowadays seems fun with their own world, lack of religious aspects and spirit of nationalism even anti social.

"At the same time, the most important thing is that we cannot produce great graduates if the inputs are not great. The success of our initiated Pilot Project II (selection of report) managed to get excellent inputs of quality. But once it becomes a national system, IPB face a tough competition. A good student candidate who has high academic qualities mostly choose popular majors such as medicine, civil engineering and so on. Therefore it becomes very important for us to maintain the quality and to support the promotion that the scientific scope in IPB is very widely. Not only on-farm but also off-farm is also studied, "he said.

IPB is constantly making new breakthroughs to get the best student candidates. IPB's independent entrance is creatively designed to get good students and strive for the spread of financial burden, for example Scholarship for Regional Representatives (BUD). In ??addition, a good breakthrough that has been implemented is the search for talents that have a strong motivation for agriculture through the Talent Test (UTM) This year, a maximum of 4,000 (four thousand) new students will be accepted by IPB, where 50 percent comes from the National Selection of State University Entrance (SNMPTN), 30 percent comes from the Joint Selection Entrance of State Universities (SBMPTN), and the rest is independent entrance (BUD, PIN, OSIS, UTM)

"We need smart and though leaders who have a scientific base and high analytical power. Through the current rector's leadership, Dr. Arif Satria, we launch a new breakthrough through the input of prospective students who have leadership. We strengthen their intellectual to create an intellectual leader. So the policy is based on scientific evidence, "he explained. The Directorate of Student Affairs will be combined with students career development and entrepreneurship. The students' welfare is experiencing a complex problem in which 30 percent of IPB students come from low economic class. Some can be solved by granting the Bidikmisi Program but still not enough. IPB will seek more scholarships that can solve the problem related to Single Tuition Fee (UKT). "We have not set up UKT because of last year's experience. UKT should not rise, but is allowed for independent entrance. International programs for example are more expensive. Well, what will distinguish now is that UKT will be announced earlier to prospective students. We will soon announce the UKT around the end of February, "he said. (TK)