Serpong, UIN News Online — The Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenag) affirms its commitment to support the transformation of UIN Jakarta from a Public Service State Islamic University (PTKN Badan Layanan Umum) into a Legal Entity State Islamic University (PTKN Badan Hukum). The transformation is expected to enable UIN Jakarta to have a more dynamic financing strategy without burdening its students with the Single Tuition Fee (UKT) tariff.
That concludes the outcomes of the presentations and discussions among several officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) and UIN Jakarta during the UIN Jakarta Leadership Meeting (Rakerpim) in 2023, which took place in Serpong from Monday to Wednesday (06/05-07/2023). During this event, several officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs were present and provided their directions and guidance.
Three officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) were pleased to attend the event. They were the Secretary General of Kemenag, Nizar, the Director General of Islamic Education, Muhammad Ali Ramdhani, and the Director of Islamic Higher Education (PTKI), Ahmad Zainul Hamdi.
In his presentation, Secretary General Nizar expressed that the Ministry of Religious Affairs will supports UIN Jakarta in becoming the first Islamic State University to transform into a Legal Entity State University (PTKN Badan Hukum). He is optimistic that UIN Jakarta can change its status from the current Public Service State University (PTKN Badan Layanan Umum) as soon as possible.
“I see that the transformation of UIN Jakarta from a Public Service State University (PTKN Badan Layanan Umum) to a Legal Entity State University (PTKN Badan Hukum) is just one step away,” he said.
This optimism, he explained, is closely related to the institutional and academic conditions of UIN Jakarta itself. Institutionally, UIN Jakarta has potential sources of business financing to support its academic activities.
Academically, UIN Jakarta has already obtained an A accreditation for its institution. Similarly, 60 percent of its study programs have also been accredited with an A rating. “So this requirement has already been fulfilled,” he added.
In addition, he continued, Kemenag’s support is evident in the issuance of Minister of Religious Affairs Regulation No. 2 of 2023 concerning Criteria and Procedures for Evaluating the Performance of State Islamic Religious Universities into State Islamic Religious Universities as Legal Entities. Through this regulation, UIN Jakarta and other UINs have a clear reference regarding the transformation efforts into Legal Entity State Universities.
For example, Article 3 of the aforementioned regulation states that a State Islamic Religious University (PTKN) can become a Legal Entity State Islamic Religious University if it meets certain criteria, one of which is the ability to implement the high-quality tridharma of higher education. Article 4 further clarifies that the criteria include having an institutional accreditation status of A/excellent rating and at least 60 percent of the study programs accredited as A/excellent rating.
The support for the transformation of UIN Jakarta into a Legal Entity State Islamic Religious University also conveyed by Director General Ali. According to Ali, the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) will fully support the transformation of UIN Jakarta to a Legal Entity State Islamic Religious University.
“Transforming UIN Jakarta into a Legal Entity State Islamic Religious University is included in the roadmap and grand design for the development of State Islamic Religious Universities. This is our aspiration. It will definitely be supported,” said Ali.
However, Ali reminded that the transformation into a Legal Entity State Islamic Religious University should not make UIN Jakarta abandon its Islamic scholarly roots, namely Ushuluddin, Sharia, Tarbiyah, Adab, and Da’wah. He emphasized that the strength of our University lies in these fields of knowledge.
On the contrary, Ali expressed his hope that UIN Jakarta would continue to strengthen itself as the epicenter of knowledge and Islamic studies in Indonesia and the world. He emphasized that UIN Jakarta should serve as a role model for the development of knowledge among other State Islamic Religious Universities.
Similar support was expressed by the Director of PTKI, Ahmad Zainul Hamdi. He stated, “I am fully committed, Rector and all the leaders of UIN Jakarta, to support and facilitate whatever can be done by the Directorate of Higher Education to expedite the transformation of UIN Jakarta into a Legal Entity State Islamic Religious University,” he said.
According to Zainul, UIN Jakarta has the capacity and potential to support the institutional governance and academic programs if it were to transform into a Legal Entity State Islamic Religious University. However, he emphasized that the change should also be accompanied by strengthening the Islamic knowledge areas of Ushuluddin, Tarbiyah, Syaria, Adab, and Da’wah.
In response, the Rector of UIN Jakarta, Asep Saepudin Jahar considers the support from the Ministry of Religious Affairs as a trust that UIN Jakarta must fulfill by preparing the various required prerequisites.
“UIN Jakarta needs to be prepared and make necessary preparations regarding the transformation into a Legal Entity State Islamic Religious University,” he said.
Asep also stated that the transformation into a Legal Entity State Islamic Religious University will not diminish UIN Jakarta’s identity as an institution focused on the study of Islamic knowledge. This scholarly focus will be strengthened while at the same time UIN Jakarta will continue to develop other fields of study such as medicine, psychology, economics, politics, and others through an interdisciplinary approach. “This will become UIN Jakarta’s distinction, both in theoretical and practical terms,” he added.
Furthermore, the Rector emphasized that the transformation into a Legal Entity State Islamic Religious University will ensure that UIN Jakarta has autonomy in institutional and academic development. One of the benefits is the freedom for UIN Jakarta to explore funding sources from university business revenues, rather than relying solely on the single tuition fee (UKT) from students. This autonomy will provide greater financial flexibility and sustainability for the university’s operations and activities.
“With the transformation into a Legal Entity State Islamic Religious University (PTKN Badan Hukum), it does not mean relying on the single tuition fee (UKT). Instead, the PTKN Badan Hukum will rely more on business revenue rather than the UKT,” he concluded. (hmn/im/zm/usa)
