UNPAR.AC.ID, Bandung – Through the “Halo Sobat Merdeka!” talk show on YouTube, Trisno Sakti from the Public Administration Program at Parahyangan Catholic University (UNPAR) and Nisa Zonzoa from Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) discussed the importance of Anti-Corruption Education and its implementation within the Freedom to Learn, Independent Campus (MBKM) framework.
As cited on Thursday (17/10/2024) through the Campus Merdeka channel, Nisa explained that the collaboration between UNPAR and ICW began in 2019. This partnership initially involved ICW’s platform, Open Tender, which oversees government procurement of goods and services.
“UNPAR can be considered one of our oldest partners. You could say it’s our first academic partner in anti-corruption education related to ICW,” said Nisa.
Speaking about the partnership, Trisno added that MBKM is part of an ongoing collaboration. However, he explained that the cooperation with ICW extends beyond MBKM to include other activities, such as anti-corruption courses that have been in place even before MBKM was initiated.
“If we talk about rationale, ICW and we are two entities with substantial shared interests and mutual needs,” Trisno remarked.
Trisno further mentioned that this collaboration positively impacts the institution, particularly students, by refining their skills, such as fieldwork and communication, through MBKM.
“I would say this is an acceleration to prepare them for the workforce,” he said.
When asked about the initial steps to implement MBKM, Trisno revealed that the academic program itself is responsible for its execution. While complete regulations and guidelines are available, MBKM remains a learning method that must be carefully managed.
“I think the Program must take the lead. It should be at the forefront, fully accountable for its own quality,” Trisno noted.
MBKM’s benefits extend to ICW as well. Nisa shared that one of the advantages stemmed from UNPAR’s MBKM interns in 2023.
“In 2023, one of the MBKM interns from UNPAR successfully produced a guidebook on reporting extortion in schools. Cindy wrote this book with support from our public service and bureaucratic reform division at ICW.”
Corruption in Higher Education
Nisa stated that ICW aims to expand its anti-corruption network across all sectors, including higher education, which has the potential to be a strategic partner. This goal is also driven by the high number of corruption cases in higher education institutions.
“We know that corruption numbers in universities are high. There are many cases and methods. ICW feels an obligation to provide anti-corruption education to help prevent corruption in the educational sector,” she said.
Hopes for Anti-Corruption MBKM
Reflecting on the past, Nisa expressed hope for greater ICW involvement in Anti-Corruption MBKM interventions. Previously, ICW hadn’t directly participated in community interventions, and supervision was mainly conducted by interns and academic staff.
“We hope that in the next MBKM batch, ICW can be directly involved in accompanying community projects, which could lead to more meaningful outputs for the local community,” Nisa explained.
Additionally, ICW hopes to see this program continue, benefiting not only students but also ICW by establishing partnerships with external parties. Nisa stated that MBKM makes collaborations between universities and external parties more flexible.
“It also benefits ICW by allowing interns who are serious about learning anti-corruption,” she said.
However, she acknowledged that there are areas for improvement, particularly in internal campus management by faculty, to enhance the program’s future implementation.
Trisno, on the other hand, hopes that ICW’s trust and collaboration with MBKM will remain strong. He mentioned several future plans for ICW, such as showcasing student research using ICW data.
He also expressed hopes for more impactful initiatives, even on a small scale, despite existing challenges.
“Our hope is to respond to these challenges. We hope the government also provides us with the space to respond to them,” he said.
Meaningful Learning
In conclusion, Trisno highlighted the importance of providing meaningful learning experiences for students, especially in preparing them for the workforce.
“Let us all listen to our hearts in creating more meaningful learning for our students. Today’s era is no longer one where lecturers are overly authoritative; being important but distant is not ideal. There is also a gap between the current generation and the world of work,” he stated. (KTH-Humas UNPAR)
