Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) commemorated National Education Day by holding a flag ceremony at the Balairung courtyard on Friday, May 2.
Representatives of the academic community attended the event, which served as an opportunity for collective reflection on the direction and future of Indonesia’s education.
In the ceremony, UGM Rector Professor Ova Emilia delivered a powerful address on the importance of higher education institutions in realizing quality education for all.
The commemoration was held to honor the contributions of educational pioneers and renew the commitment to a more equitable and sustainable learning system amid global dynamics and digital transformation.
“Education is required to become more adaptive, collaborative, and inclusive,” said Professor Emilia.
Carrying the national theme “Universal Participation to Achieve Quality Education for All,” Professor Emilia emphasized that the complexities of educational challenges from disparities in access to low literacy and inequality in quality require serious attention and broad involvement.
She asserted that the success of education is not solely determined by the state or formal institutions, but also by collaboration and the spirit of cooperation from all elements of society.
“This commemoration is also a significant moment to reflect on the meaning of improving the quality of sustainable education, which also serves as a tribute to the services of our predecessors,” said Professor Emilia.
She also highlighted the vital role of technology in transforming education. Since the end of 2023, UGM has launched UGM Online, a digital learning platform that expands public access to quality education.
Kanal Pengetahuan and Menara Ilmu, two digital UGM channels that openly provide interdisciplinary content, support this initiative.
According to Professor Emilia, technology enables education to reach areas that have been geographically or socially marginalized.
Through this open system, the spirit of lifelong learning becomes more tangible and accessible to everyone.
“UGM Online, Kanal Pengetahuan, and Menara Ilmu are manifestations of UGM’s commitment to providing inclusive, technology-based education,” she explained.
Professor Emilia also revisited UGM’s historical contribution to national education through the Pengerahan Tenaga Mahasiswa (PTM) program initiated in 1951.
The program later evolved into the Community Service Program (KKN-PPM UGM), which continues to serve as a model for community-based learning.
Through this program, UGM students study in classrooms and learn directly from communities, honing empathy, awareness, and leadership.
Field experiences become essential for students to understand social realities while nurturing a spirit to become agents of change.
From villages to remote areas across the country, UGM students’ contributions represent grounded educational practices.
“The KKN-PPM UGM program provides students with the best learning experience to sharpen empathy, awareness, teamwork, and personal character, while also building a knowledge-driven and competitive independence,” said Professor Emilia.
In her speech, Professor Emilia also quoted Ki Hadjar Dewantara’s teaching: true education teaches us to live together, respect one another, help one another, and love one another.
She concluded her address by inviting the academic community and the public to continue working together to create inclusive, high-quality, and equitable learning spaces.
Amid global challenges, cooperation and commitment to educational justice are key to building a brighter future.
Professor Emilia believes that, through quality education and collective efforts, Indonesia will produce excellent human resources, which will be the foundation of national development.
“Let us work together to provide accessible, inclusive, and quality education to enhance future generations’ knowledge capacity. Happy National Education Day,” she concluded.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photographer: Firsto