Higher education institutions are urged to enhance quality assurance through improved accreditation certification from BAN-PT and Independent Accreditation Institutions (LAM).
Accreditation is key to elevating the quality of higher education and ensuring institutions meet established standards. It also serves as a primary indicator of university quality.
“Despite challenges related to new regulations and evolving policies, universities must meet current standards and complete accreditation processes on time,” BAN-PT Accreditation Board Member Professor Retno Widowati said during a workshop “Efforts to Improve Higher Education Quality Through the Implementation of Internal Quality Assurance Systems (SPMI),” held on Friday (Sep. 13) at UGM’s Multimedia Room.
Professor Widowati further explained the accreditation processes and outcomes conducted by BAN-PT and LAM.
If a higher education institution meets the minimum requirements, it will receive establishment approval from the minister and obtain provisional accredited status, which must be renewed later.
“If the reapplication does not meet the criteria, the institution is given six months to revise. Failure to achieve accreditation will result in the revocation of establishment approval,” Professor Widowati clarified.
Dr. Setyo Pertiwi from the SPMI Working Team of the Belmawa Program stated that higher education institutions are responsible for implementing SPMI to ensure educational standards are met.
However, Dr. Pertiwi highlighted several challenges in implementing SPMI, including resource limitations, inconsistent understanding, resistance to change, inconsistent monitoring and evaluation, integration difficulties, and inaccurate standard measurements.
“Strategies include thorough preparation and fostering SPMI champions through outreach. It is essential to ensure processes align, conduct evaluations, and implement controls and improvements,” Dr. Pertiwi emphasized.
Professor Sri Suning Kusumawardani, Director of Learning and Student Affairs at the Ministry of Education, noted that the transformation of higher education through Permendikbudristek 53/2023 aims to reduce administrative burdens on programs and institutions.
By automating the accreditation process through the quality assurance system, SPMI is expected to be integrated into this automation.
Professor Indra Wijaya Kusuma, Head of the Quality Assurance and Reputation Unit at UGM, stated that this workshop aims to enhance the quality of higher education in Indonesia, particularly in addressing quality disparities among state universities.
“Seventy participants representing various universities and institutes in Indonesia attended, and together, we aim to improve higher education quality to eliminate these disparities,” he said.
Author: Lintang
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang
Photographer: Donnie