Education Expert Supports Prabowo’s Plan for Cambridge-Standard Universities

Education observer from Paramadina University, Totok Amin Soefijanto, believes that strengthening higher education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and medicine has become a pressing need in Indonesia today.

He noted that Indonesia’s university landscape remains dominated by social sciences and humanities, largely shaped by student preferences that lean away from scientific and technical fields.

“So far, our higher education has been dominated by social sciences and humanities, because that’s where most of our students’ interests lie. Moreover, there are relatively few job opportunities requiring science and technology expertise,” Totok told Inilah.com on Thursday, January 22, 2026.

Totok added that many students still perceive disciplines heavy in mathematics and complex formulas as too difficult, which results in slower growth of STEM education compared to other academic areas.

Responding to President Prabowo Subianto’s plan to establish ten new universities focusing on STEM and medicine using Cambridge’s curriculum model, Totok underscored the importance of English language readiness for prospective students.

“We must ensure that our students, who will study at universities affiliated with British institutions, have a solid command of English to master their subjects effectively and graduate within the expected timeframe,” he said.

He went further to propose a preparatory period before the official start of university programs. “If necessary, there should be one or two semesters of matriculation to strengthen English proficiency,” Totok concluded.

Earlier this week, President Prabowo extended an invitation to several leading British universities to collaborate on building ten new institutions in Indonesia. The proposal was delivered during the UK–Indonesia Education Roundtable at Lancaster House, London, on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.

“We want to invite collaboration. Many British universities already work with UI, Gadjah Mada, and others. Some even have campuses here, in Singosari and Bandung, focusing on digital and technological fields that Indonesia urgently needs,” Prabowo said.

According to the President, accelerating the development of world-class universities is essential for Indonesia to catch up with global education standards.

“We want to move faster. We must pursue education at the highest level—comparable with the best universities in the world,” he stated.

Prabowo also highlighted Indonesia’s critical shortage of medical professionals. The country currently lacks around 140,000 doctors and dentists, while annual graduates are far from sufficient to meet national health demands.

“We only produce about 9,000 doctors each year. By the time we close the gap of 140,000, many of them will already have retired,” he remarked.

To tackle this issue, the government plans to set up ten new universities focusing on medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and science and technology. All campuses will use English as the language of instruction.

“I want to apply British standards—the highest educational benchmarks from the best UK universities,” said Prabowo.

Students admitted into these programs will be selected from top graduates and granted full government scholarships. Before beginning their courses, they will attend intensive English training. The government also plans to collaborate with the British Council, incorporating IELTS standards.

In addition, Prabowo announced the development of teaching hospitals meeting international standards on each new campus to enhance national healthcare quality.

“In my view, by doing this, we could save around USD 6 billion annually—funds that could instead be invested into these universities and hospitals,” he said.

Prabowo assured that Indonesia would welcome foreign lecturers and professors through visiting scholar programs with partner universities. He expressed optimism that preparations could be completed in time to enroll the first batch of students in 2028.

“At the beginning of 2028, we hope to welcome our first cohort. Our vision is to build integrated educational zones that ensure high living standards, safety, and security, making these campuses attractive for foreign academics to work in Indonesia,” he added.

IndonesianPost.com | Inilah