Bandar Lampung, – The Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia (UTI), as one of the best private universities in Lampung, held a Cultural Talks Webinar Series, Tuesday 27 October 2020.

This UTI virtual event is part of the Nusantara Student Exchange program with the Credit Transfer System supported by Information Technology (Permata Sakti), one of the implementations of the Independent Learning Program and the Merdeka Campus.

“The purpose of this activity is to introduce Cultural Diversity among Youth throughout the archipelago. This program is expected to increase unity and integrity in the midst of our cultural diversity,” said Deputy Chancellor 1 of the Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia, Dr. H. Mahathir Muhammad, SE, MM, in his speech.

Mahathir explained, Indonesia has a very high cultural diversity, from Sabang to Merauke. With the Independent Learning Curriculum, students from all over Indonesia can not only experience learning at other campuses, but also have the opportunity to get to know the culture of other regions.

“This of course can strengthen our sense of unity and oneness as Indonesian youth, and also increase our love for Indonesia as a reflection of the Youth Pledge which we will commemorate tomorrow,” he said.

It is noteworthy that the Government through the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia has launched the Independent Learning Program and the Independent Campus which gives students the right to study for 3 semesters outside the study program. Based on data from the Minister of Education and Culture (2020), there is a gap in the quality of education from around 4,670 universities and 8 million students in Indonesia.

“Uneven access, both access to facilities and access to quality learning (teaching staff and processes), makes the quality of education uneven,” said Mahathir.

Therefore, he continued, the Merdeka Learning curriculum is a solution that has the opportunity to narrow the quality gap.

“We are committed to the success of this program by welcoming students from all over Indonesia to join in carrying out lectures on our campus, with teachers who are qualified in their respective fields,”

Mahathir hopes that this Webinar series can bring benefits to students. And hopefully the Merdeka Learning Campus Merdeka curriculum will not only improve the quality of education but also our sense of nationalism towards the Indonesian nation.