Universitas Gadjah Mada has hosted Southeast Asia Dean’s Course from 6-9 February attended by speakers from Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia and Germany. Rector of UGM, Prof. Ir. Panut Mulyono, M.Eng., D.Eng., said the course was the forum for university leaders to learn from each other. He said higher learning ought not only to improve education but also to give response to fast global change. “The world is changing and higher learning needs to adapt quickly,” he said.
Panut said Industry 4.0 had changed aspects of human lives. He said education institutions also experienced changes. Recently, said Rector, Google and IBM announced their intention to recruit someone with good skills although they did not have university degrees. “This is truly shocking for those that believe in formal education,” he said.
According to the Rector, anyone can learn the use of information technology that is massive and distributive from anyone, anywhere, and anytime. Hence higher learning is facing new challenges. “Education institutions are driven to re-define their roles and significance,” he said.
The Rector hoped the Dean’s Course would generate ideas and suggestions as well as solution to the matter.
Tobias Wolf, MA., representative from German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), said the Dean’s Course was to encourage higher learning quality in Southeast Asia and improve international cooperation between universities. “We want to encourage management quality enhancement and international cooperation, not just in Asia but also America and Africa,” he said.
Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Peter Mayer from Osnabrück University, Germany, said this forum would be a good place to share information and experience among universities in how they run their own educational system. He added industrial revolution and impacts of technology disruption on higher learning would be discussed by the course participants.