By Hafid Abbas
International Consultant at SEAMEO RETRAC, Ho Chi Minh, 2014
It was a historic moment indeed, prior to the G20 Summit on 14-15 Nov. 2022, the G20 Education Ministers met in Bali on 1 Sept. under the Indonesian G20 Presidency in the mid of war between Russia and Ukraine, and at a new normal era of post Covid-19 pandemic. The meeting was attended by G20 members, invited countries and international organizations in a hybrid manner and was chaired by the Indonesian Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Nadiem Makarim.
During the meeting, Ministers discussed the G20 education agenda under Indonesia’s Presidency namely: universal quality education; digital technology in education; solidarity and partnership in education; and, future of work. The Ministers also welcomed the Report and Compendium on education strategies in 26 countries, detailing more than 150 education programs and best practices.
To promote such agenda of cooperation, it is a great lesson learned from Tanri Abeng University (TAU)’s breakthrough to promote university to university alliance globally in the areas of social entrepreneurship. In the G20 Agenda, they call such cooperation as “gotong royong” aiming to strengthen G20 shared commitments and to promote investments for inclusive education and training at all levels, including with international institutions.
Such commitments had been addressed indeed at the 1998 World Conference on Higher Education. This conference successfully adopts higher education vision and missions for the twenty-first century. One of its recommendations is to advance, create and disseminate knowledge through researchand provide, as part of its service to the community, relevant expertise to assist societies in cultural, social and economic development, promoting and developing scientific and technological research as well as research in the social sciences, the humanities and the creative arts.
Such missions clearly show that university has socio-economic mandates within its tri-dharma activities (teaching, research and community services) to contribute to the enhancement of socio-cultural, political, and economic values, and science and technology development.
To do so, for Indonesia, the creation of a Center of Excellence (COE) at selected universities appears to be an innovative approach to engage with wider participation of all segment of societies in accordance with their local economic corridors, such as: Udayana University on tourism and hospitality in the island of Bali, Pattimura University on fisheries in Maluku, etc.
TAU Within ASEAN Mandates
The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) is a regional intergovernmental organization established in 1965 among governments of ASEAN to promote regional cooperation in education, science and culture in the region.
Today, SEAMEO has 21 specialist institutions as CEO that undertake training and research programs at various fields of education, science, and culture to serve all ASEAN member states as a single community of nations, economically, security and socio-politically, and culturally. For example, since its inception in 1968, Indonesia has been the center for Tropical Biology, locates in IPB Bogor, with its main activities is to focus on Forest, Pest and Aquatic Biology.
Similarly, Malaysia is the Regional Centre for Education in Science and Mathematics. This has been established in Penang, Malaysia since 1967, with the mandate to meet the needs of the SEAMEO Member Countries in developing science, mathematics and technology education programs. While Brunei Darussalam is the Centre for Vocational and Technical Education and Training which was established in 1990.
Indonesia adopts such modality to develop COE at selected universities that meet the criteria of resource availability, expertise, and willingness to be a model institution to serve and capacitate other universities or higher education institutions within the territory of relevant economic corridors with the aims at maximizing their contribution to address social problems at the corridor through partnership with local stakeholders and communities at large.
TAU is one of private universities in Indonesia which popularly known with its icon as “a center of excellence for career ready professional”
To articulate such icon, TAU formulates its vision to be a world class university to produce leaders and professional managers who are competitive at their fields and contribute to the improvement of people prosperity by 2027. With this vision, TAU commits its missions: to produce young future leaders who dedicates and transforms their managerial and leadership excellence; to promote management as a profession through their in-depth research and publication study to meet with company, industry, and government demands, and; to prepare future leaders of the nation with the highest qualification standards.
To achieve such vision, TAU reorients its tri-dharma on three areas of the following excellences.First, TAU has shown various key performance indicators on managerial excellence, such as: the availability of TAU Business Plan including the development plan of 7000 People Owned Enterprises (BUMR). This plan has been adopted as a strategic plan of the association of all provinces, districts and municipalities across the country.
Second, TAU prepares its graduates to have Technical Excellence that are readily applicable in the industrial world. This reciprocal relationship requires commitment of both parties, how the industry can be on campus, and vice versa campus is in the industry.
Third, TAU has shown its utmost commitment for Community Services Excellence through their collaboration with local, provincial, national and international institutions, industries and enterprises to improve the quality of life of the poor.
To support and sustain the three excellences for social entrepreneurship development, TAU has developed some centers, such as: first, Center for People’s Own Enterprise (BUMRA). This model delivers mutual benefits between the Industry and Trade with the BUMRA representing the SMEs: the industry is guaranteed supply of raw materials according to the number and quality required; the BUMRA is guaranteed market at current fair prices in accordance with market developments; etc.
Second is the Center for Inclusive Economic Development. At this Center, TAU collaborates closely with various government agencies, banks, and others to establish the economic clusters appropriate to the potential, strengths and interests of the government/regional community; building a value chain analysis that begins with a market analysis; etc.
Third is the Center Entrepreneurial Development. This center focuses on how to develop, co-coordinate and undertake research in entrepreneurship and enterprise development and disseminate research findings; to serve as a forum for national, regional and international meetings; to provide consultancy and training services for the stakeholders in social entrepreneurship and enterprise development, etc.
With its COE, TAU has obviously articulated the G20 Agenda (2022) and World Higher Education recommendations (1988) implementation to position itself as a hub for learning network and collaboration with other higher education institutions nationally, regionally and globally on the area of for Management on Social Entrepreneurship.
