The Council of Professors at Universitas Gadjah Mada (DGB) organized the Professors Go to Frontiers (PGTF) program, which took place in North Maluku Province for a week from June 18th to 24th, 2023.
The service activities in the cities of Ternate and Tidore were participated by 11 professors from various disciplines and three research staff who produced a documentary film. In the program, they conducted clove drying outreach and practices to maintain its quality.
They also discussed education in the region with the Governor of North Maluku, Abdul Ghani Kasuba. With the Mayor of Ternate, Dr. M. Tauhid Soleman, and the Ternate City Government, the council discussed the idea of collaboration related to Ternate as the Spice City and solutions for plastic waste.
A dinner reception and discussion with Governor Abdul Ghani Kasuba was held at Royal’s Resto Ternate, attended by department heads, assistants, the governor’s advisers, and the North Maluku Regional Kagama Board officials.
Despite the overcast weather and rough sea waves, the governor crossed from Sofifi on Halmahera Island to Ternate to meet the 11 UGM professors.
During this occasion, the governor shared a book about his career journey, focusing on the importance of education in changing one’s fate. He shared his story as a child from a remote island who struggled to access education but eventually managed to study in Medina and become a teacher in Maluku.
The book, distributed to UGM professors, revealed his journey of service and the challenges he faced as an educator in the island’s bureaucratic education system.
In response to these challenges, fundamental thoughts and courage emerged to establish and strengthen madrasah education centers in the islands.
“If we have to wait for the government to build educational facilities, people in remote and rural areas will remain left behind and uneducated,” he said before the UGM professors.
The book recounts his journey as a teacher in the remote islands before serving as North Maluku’s governor. His childhood journey in his hometown of Bibinoi was filled with difficulty accessing education.
Governor Kasuba pursued his primary and junior high school education in Bacan. In 1969, he crossed to Ternate and continued his journey to Manado and Buol before arriving in Palu to pursue education at Al Khairat.
After completing his secondary education at Al Khairat Muallimiin School, equivalent to high school, in 1974, he continued his studies at the Faculty of Da’wah, Islamic University of Madinah.
After returning from Madinah, he served as a teacher and education advocate for about 25 years, establishing and strengthening madrasah education in the islands, including Morotai, Halmahera, Ternate, Tidore, Sula, and Bacan, as well as crossing to Sorong in Papua.
“The spirit of serving as a teacher in the remote islands seems to be similar to the spirit of the UGM Council of Professors organize Professors Go to Frontiers (PGTF), which this time took place in North Maluku,” said Governor Abdul Ghani Kasuba.
He expressed his commitment to return to teaching after serving two terms as the Governor of North Maluku (2014-2019 and 2019-2024). For him, serving as a legislator in the Indonesian Parliament and as an executive is enough, and he believes that answering the call to be a teacher is the best choice.
“Next year, after my term ends, I would like to return to the education habitat, where I can freely engage in creativity and contribute to the intellectual development of the nation,” he said.
During the dinner reception, the UGM professors shared insights gained during their journey in North Maluku, including providing input and solutions regarding developing the spice cosmopolis, utilizing digital technology for communication in the islands, and implementing the SDGs.
According to the UGM professors, the abundant natural resources on land and at sea in North Maluku require proper management to provide welfare to the people and prosperity to the region.
“Good governance, cross-sector coordination, and collaboration with various stakeholders are key to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” said Professor M. Baiquni.
In the Professors Go to Frontiers (PGTF) program with the theme “Spice Cosmopolis and Ternate Smart City and SDGs” in North Maluku Province, the UGM professors had an audience with Sultan Ternate Hidayatullah Sjah and the queen.
They also discussed development issues with the Mayor of Ternate, Dr. M. Tauhid Soleman, accompanied by the Head of the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappelitbangda), Rizal Marsaoly, and the Head of the Department of Agriculture, Thamrin Marsaoly, who is also a UGM alumnus.
The eleven UGM professors involved in this program include Professor M. Baiquni (Geography), Professor Sulistiowati (Law), Professor Wahyudi Kumorotomo (Social and Political Sciences), Professor Koentjoro (Psychology), Professor Lasio (Philosophy), and Professor Ambar Pertiwiningrum and Professor Tety (Animal Science).
Also participating were Professor Sri Suryawati (Public Health), Professor Alva (Engineering), Professor Purnomo (Biology), and Professor Kharis (Pharmacy), supported by Heru, Fuad, and Aji.
Author: Agung Nugroho