FOUR out-of-campus study programs for students in the Merdeka Learning Campus Merdeka (MBKM) received positive evaluation results, both from students and lecturers. The satisfaction level of the four programs has reached 95 percent, although it must be admitted that there are still many things that need to be improved, both at the Ministry and from the universities involved in the four programs.
The Director-General of Higher Education, Prof. Nizam, acknowledged that there are still many things that need to be improved in the implementation of the MBKM program, from budget to implementation, including budget issues. In the Nusantara Module program, for example, until entering the second week of January 2022, there are still caregivers who have not received honoraria.
“In the first semester, there are still many obstacles, including in the budgeting which is still from two sources. Next year it will be fixed. Funding from one ministry," said Prof Nizam when responding to the outpouring of the Nusantara Module lecturer from Universitas Malikussaleh in the MBKM Socialization at Building D Kemendikbudristek, Jakarta, last Thursday, January 6, 2022.
In the MBKM socialization, Prof. Nizam also mentioned a number of universities, both public and private, which seemed to ignore the four MBKM programs. He gave an example of a lecturer who still gives lectures to students who take part in the Teaching Campus program—for example—so that the student is unable to fulfill a minimum of 20 credits.
“Sadly, there are still refusals from several campuses that do not allow students to fully participate (activities). In fact, this is part of the important competencies of our students," said Nizam in front of a number of MBKM program lecturers and heads of public relations at a number of universities, including Universitas Malikussaleh.
According to Nizam, in the last year around 80,000 students were involved in various programs. From meetings with interns, he heard the admissions of students who had experiences they had never had in lecture halls, laboratories, or libraries. Students gain knowledge that is very down to earth and becomes a provision for navigating the ocean of life, as Minister Nadiem Makarim often describes.
“There is a story that a student who was an introvert but then got good mentoring, finally became more open and was accepted to work because he got his passion. Abroad, programs like this have only been carried out on elite campuses. But we've done evenly. Indeed, there are protests here and there, there is a grudge. But to move forward, we must change and we must leave our comfort zone. Nothing is ever perfect,” said Nizam.
The problem of internships that are not relevant to their educational background, Nizam said that job opportunities are currently very open in various fields. According to him, the profession is very free, not narrow. "Learning physics, you have to be a physicist, but you can work anywhere," concluded Nizam.
Previously, the Head of MBKM Project Management Office, Erwin Tobing, explained that the four MBKM programs that have been running since 2021 are Internship and Independent Studies (MSIB), Indonesia International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA), Independent Student Exchange (PMM), and Teaching Campus. Erwin gave an example, Kemendikbudristek partners with 120 companies that are strictly selected to accept internship students. “There are 60 thousand students who have registered. But only 12,000 students can accept it,” said Erwin.
Meanwhile, for the ISWA Program, around 900 students have been sent abroad. Meanwhile, PMM encourages students to appreciate diversity and have tolerance through the Nusantara Module Program which this year will be held outside the network.
“Fourth, the Teaching Campus. In 2021 there will be 20,000 students participating. The results of the evaluation, most students are satisfied with all programs," said Erwin.
The results of the evaluation are expected to make the four MBKM programs better in 2022 and in the years to come. And time will tell whether the Merdeka Campus generation will be part of Indonesia's golden generation. [Ayi Jufridar]
Menunggu Hasil Nyata Program Kampus Merdeka
EMPAT program kuliah luar kampus bagi mahasiswa dalam Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) mendapatkan hasil evaluasi positif, baik dari kalangan mahasiswa maupun dosen. Tingkat kepuasan keempat program tersebut ada yang mencapai 95 persen, meski harus diakui masih banyak yang perlu diperbaiki, baik di Kementerian maupun dari perguruan tinggi yang terlibat dalam keempat program.
Direktur Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi, Prof Nizam, mengakui masih banyak yang perlu diperbaiki dalam pelaksanaan program MBKM, mulai dari anggaran sampai pelaksanaan, termasuk dalam masalah anggaran. Dalam program Modul Nusantara, misalnya, sampai memasuki pekan kedua Januari 2022, masih ada dosen pengasuh yang belum mendapatkan honor.
“Semester pertama ini memang masih banyak kendala, termasuk dalam penganggaran yang masih dari dua sumber. Tahun depan akan diperbaiki. Pendanaan dari satu kementerian,” ungkap Prof Nizam saat merespons curahan hati dosen Modul Nusantara dari Universitas Malikussaleh dalam Sosialiasi MBKM di Gedung D Kemendikbudristek, Jakarta, Kamis (6/1/2022) lalu.
Dalam sosialisasi MBKM tersebut, Prof Nizam juga menyinggung sejumlah perguruan tinggi baik negeri maupun swasta yang seolah mengabaikan keempat program MBKM. Ia menyontohkan ada dosen yang tetap memberikan tugas kuliah kepada mahasiswa yang mengikuti program Kampus Mengajar—misalnya—sehingga mahasiswa bersangkutan tidak mampu memenuhi minimal 20 SKS.
“Sedihnya, masih ada penolakan dari beberapa kampus yang tidak mengizinkan mahasiswa mengikuti (kegiatan secara) penuh. Padahal, inilah bagian dari kompetensi penting dari mahasiswa kita,” ujar Nizam di hadapan sejumlah dosen program MBKM serta kepala kehumasan sejumlah perguruan tinggi, termasuk Universitas Malikussaleh.
Menurut Nizam, dalam setahun terakhir sekitar 80.000 mahasiswa terlibat di berbagai program. Dari pertemuan dengan mahasiswa magang, ia mendengar pengakuan mahasiswa yang mendapatkan pengalaman yang belum pernah mereka dapatkan di ruang kuliah, laboratorium, atau perpustakaan. Mahasiswa mendapatkan ilmu yang sangat membumi dan menjadi bekal untuk mengarungi samudra kehidupan seperti yang sering ditamsilkan Mas Menteri Nadiem Makarim.
“Ada yang cerita, mahasiswa yang tadi introvert, tapi kemudian mendapatkan mentoring dengan baik, akhirnya menjadi lebih terbuka dan malah diterima bekerja karena mendapatkan passion-nya. Di luar negeri, program seperti ini baru dilakukan di kampus elit. Tapi kita sudah melakukan secara merata. Memang ada protes di sana-sini, ada grasa-grusu. Tapi untuk maju memang harus berubah dan harus meninggalkan zona nyaman kita. Tidak ada sesuatu yang langsung sempurna,” papar Nizam.
Masalah tempat magang yang tidak relevan dengan latar belakang pendidikan, Nizam menyebutkan peluang kerja sekarang ini sangat terbuka di berbagai bidang. Menurutnya, profesi itu sangat bebas, tidak sempit. “Belajar fisika, harus harus ahli fisika, tapi bisa bekerja di mana saja,” pungkas Nizam.
Sebelumnya, Ketua Project Majagement Office MBKM, Erwin Tobing, menjelaskan empat program MBKM yang sudah dijalankan sejak 2021 adalah Magang dan Studi Independen (MSIB), Indonesia International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA), Pertukaran Mahasiswa Merdeka (PMM), serta Kampus Mengajar. Erwin menyontohkan, Kemendikbudristek bermitra dengan 120 perusahaan yang diseleksi secara ketat untuk menerima mahasiswa magang. “Ada 60 ribu mahasiswa yang mendaftar. Tapi yang bisa diterima hanya 12.000 mahasiswa,” ungkap Erwin.
Sementara untuk Program ISWA, sekitar 900 mahasiswa sudah diberangkatkan ke luar negeri. Sedangkan dalam PMM mendorong mahasiswa lebih menghargaai kebinekaan dan memiliki toleransi melalui Program Modul Nusantara yang tahun ini akan digelar secara luar jaringan.
“Yang keempat, Kampus Mengajar. Tahun 2021 ada 20.000 mahasiswa yang ikut. Hasil evaluasi, sebagian besar mahasiswa puas dengan semua program,” ujar Erwin.
Hasil evaluasi tersebut diharapkan membuat keempat program MBKM menjadi lebih baik pada tahun 2022 ini dan tahun-tahun mendatang. Dan waktu akan menjawab apakah generasi Kampus Merdeka akan menjadi bagian dari generasi emas Indonesia. [Ayi Jufridar]