New ministry of HERT not timely Amich Alhumami  ;   An anthropologist by training who graduated from the University of Sussex; He works at the directorate of education at the National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS)

JAKARTA POST, 13 September 2014

                                                                                                                       

                                                      

President-elect Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s transition team has unveiled the architecture of the future Cabinet, which signals changes to the current setup. They propose restructuring the current Cabinet by either merging various ministries or establishing new ones. Among the new additions proposed are a maritime affairs ministry, a food sovereignty ministry and a higher education, research and technology ministry (HERT).  The team insists that the HERT ministry is urgently needed as higher education is responsible for producing scientific knowledge, as well as developing technology and innovation. They say that a HERT ministry will be more effective at carrying out research agendas and implementing scientific research programs. Scientists at the country’s universities and research institutions, the team says, have been unable to realize their potential because research programs are scattered across ministries and lack synergy. It seems these views simplify the complex reasons for why innovative research is not progressing. The argument sounds very modest and HERT advocates fail to bring strong analysis to bear on the convolution of scientific research. Instead, the team considers it merely an institutional problem, thereby making HERT, as a bridge linking universities and research institutions, the answer. In my opinion, proponents of a HERT ministry are unable to analyze the fundamental issues related to the proposed integration. First, Indonesia faces two serious problems: a lack of public spending on research and development (R&D) and the inadequacy of science and technology infrastructure — both of which are critical factors supporting scientific research agendas. As reported by the World Bank, which analyzed data from 2009 to 2013, Indonesia’s budget allocation for R&D averaged just 0.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) over the time span, far lower than that allocated by other Asian countries such as China (2 percent), Japan (3.4 percent), South Korea (4.04 percent), Singapore (2.2 percent) and Malaysia (1.07 percent); as well as the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) nations such as the UK (2.75 percent), Germany (2.9 percent), Sweden (3.4 percent) and the US (2.8 percent). Furthermore, science and technology infrastructure (e.g. research institutions, centers for scientific study, research networks and so on) in the country remains limited. The ratio of scientists to researchers per million inhabitants in Indonesia, which stands at 205, is considered very low compared with South Korea’s 4,627 persons, Japan’s 5,573 persons and Singapore’s 6,088 persons. Most of Indonesian higher educational institutions that offer academic programs in the hard sciences have not been equipped with laboratories and the equipment needed to run them. This lack of infrastructure becomes the driving force for talented individuals to leave Indonesian universities, resulting in a “brain drain”. Many Indonesian scientists, after completing their PhD programs abroad, are then reluctant to return home. They prefer to stay overseas and work as lecturers at top universities and researchers at prestigious research institutions that offer cutting-edge research facilities and high salaries. Second, higher education, research and technology are imagined by HERT ministry advocates to be an indispensable barometer of the nation’s competitiveness. Therefore, they argue, Indonesia needs to invest more in higher education by developing a research university that focuses on important scientific disciplines. Such a research university should be designed as a center of excellence by promoting what is called “mission differentiation” for each university. However, the nation still faces serious challenges in providing education for school-age children 7 to 18 years old, a population of some 54 million people. Although the education participation rate has increased over the past 10 years, the quality of education still needs improvement. As of 2013, the net enrollment rates of primary and junior secondary-level students reached 95.8 percent and 78.8 percent, respectively, while the gross enrollment rate of senior secondary-level students stood at 78.7 percent. While focusing on improving access and the quality of basic education, the Jokowi administration will start promoting 12 years of universal education. This would mean that all school-age children 16 to 18 years old would be enrolled in senior secondary school. Consequently, public spending on secondary education would need to be doubled to support the program. In 2014, the education budget was set at Rp 368.8 trillion (US$31.12 billion); Rp 130.2 trillion channeled through central government spending and a regional transfer of Rp 238.6 trillion. Basic and secondary education remains the top priority of public education budget expenditures, while allocations for higher education remain far below the minimum amounts that are needed. The budget for higher education is spent mostly on improving access and quality, such that funding for R&D programs as the basis for the development of scientific knowledge, innovation and technology is still lacking. Third, HERT ministry advocates often refer to European countries (e.g. France, Germany and the UK) that integrate higher education, research and technology as models, but they ignore the fact that Indonesia is different from Europe in terms of the institutional capacities, fiscal capacities and expertise modalities. An integration like the one proposed by a HERT ministry in Europe is feasible since science and technology infrastructure is already well-established and supported by a centuries-long tradition in scientific research, an abundance of scientists, as well as high public spending on R&D. In Europe, there are many prestigious research institutions with international reputations. Such a condition is far from the reality of Indonesia. Fourth, HERT ministry advocates fail to appreciate the phenomenon of bias in scientific fields, whereby hard-science favoritism marginalizes the soft sciences (e.g. social sciences and humanities), leaving them underdeveloped. Currently, fields such as archeology, ethnology, philology, philosophy and Javanese literature are less attractive than medicine, engineering, physics, chemistry, and biology. If the proposal is accepted, this bias will worsen and the hard sciences will progress, as the soft sciences lag behind. Undoubtedly, higher education, research and technology will play a central role in advancing the nation, but integrating them into a ministry is unnecessary for the time being. This is because the country is still struggling with improving the access and quality of primary and secondary education. ●