Media

Advancing STEM Education in Indonesia: Strategies for Impactful Higher Education

Advancing STEM Education in Indonesia: Strategies for Impactful Higher Education

Contributor & Photo by: Virda Lalitya Umam

The last few years have witnessed a surge in technological advancements, among them augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), next-generation connectivity (5G), and, most notably, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. This growth, in turn, has had a massive, multisectoral impact on a global scale, including Indonesia, prompting governments to adapt to this era of technology. Despite that, the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas) once reported that in 2023, STEM graduates made up only 18.47% of all higher education graduates in Indonesia. This number is still significantly lower than that of our neighboring countries, such as Malaysia (37.19%), Singapore (34.30%), and India (31.41%).

With these issues at hand and an upcoming semester to plan, on September 3, 2025, the Faculty of Education once again held a Semester Preparation Workshop as a means to synergize future teaching activities and gain insights into various topics surrounding education. This opportunity saw Prof. Ahmad Najib Burhani, PhD, Director General of Science and Technology at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, as the speaker. His presentation, titled Policies on Science and Technology in Indonesian Higher Education, explores how the push for STEM education and its supporting policies embody impactful higher education.

Kicking off the workshop, Prof. Burhani identified problems regarding STEM education in Indonesia, ranging from unequal quality and unintegrated curricula to the lack of trained educators and interest, as well as of literacy. The strategies laid out by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology boil down to three points: building scientific culture, scientific temper, and scientific solutions. These strategies would then be incorporated into STEM education and implemented in real-world practices.

From a helicopter view, the current paradigm of STEM applications in Indonesia differs quite strikingly from the past. In the late 20th century up to the post-Reformation era, the government focused on high-tech, with notable inventions such as the Palapa satellites and the N250 Gatotkaca airplane coming to mind. In the 2010s, the attention shifted to public transportation, highway construction, and other public infrastructures. Now, as revealed by Prof. Burhani, the government mainly has eyes on eight priority programs known as Asta Cita—food security, energy, defense, digitalization, health, industrialization, maritime, and manufacturing—with emphasis on improving and optimizing the technology we already have.

From Prof. Burhani, we identify three main subjects of sci-tech policies by the Directorate General of Science and Technology: students, as recipients and users of STEM knowledge; teachers, as implementers of transformative education strategies, and; dissemination of science, from basic scientific literacy, to the public understanding of science, and the end goal of public engagement with science and technology. Additionally, another notable adjustment the government has made is the reallocation of education endowment funds (LPDP), allotting 80% for STEM research, scholarships, and education starting in 2026. Of course, exceptions are made, particularly for underdeveloped areas with more urgent priorities, of which a moratorium is implemented.

Looking at the big picture, if Indonesia, at one point, crafted satellites and planes, does this mean we experienced a technological downgrade since then? According to Prof. Burhani, this isn’t necessarily the case. As previously mentioned, while the focus of high-tech breakthroughs is no longer the limelight, science and technology are fundamentally expressions of culture—the two are not separable. To place greater care and attention toward existing tech does not necessarily mean forsaking modern creativity. Around us, we can also find various micro-level inventions emerging on the regular, coined as ethnotechnology, which he drew parallels with basic and applied research: applied research is only ever possible if we have the nitty-gritty, basic research in place. To quote Prof. Burhani, the highest technological achievements would bear little significance if the people cannot understand their value or feel their benefits.

Now, what does all this mean for higher education institutions in Indonesia? What can we do to not fall behind, especially in STEM-based fields? For starters, strengthen research related to fields that Indonesia is a home to and aren’t far-fetched from our vicinity (e.g., tropical medicine, biodiversity, oceanography, etc). Additionally, based on our recent FGD, a single institution does not need to specialize in every field and its concentrations; instead, it can focus on specific areas of expertise unique to the region, while collaborating with other institutions to provide comprehensive education and research. Most importantly, how we communicate and disseminate knowledge is crucial to grow public interest and broaden access to science, or as Prof. Burhani puts it, to become a friend to science.

Privacy Preference Center

Privacy Preferences

Ritme Putaran Mahjong Ways Menuntut Konsentrasi agar Sesi Permainan Tetap TerkontrolPengamatan Visual Mahjong Ways Membantu Membedakan Perubahan pada Setiap PutaranBatas Waktu Bermain Mahjong Ways Membantu Membangun Disiplin selama Sesi PermainanRiwayat Mahjong Ways Membantu Memberikan Gambaran Lebih Objektif tentang Aktivitas BermainVariasi Tampilan Mahjong Ways Memengaruhi Cara Pemain Memahami Pengalaman PermainanPola Mahjong Ways Perlu Diamati tanpa Menganggap Hasil Sebelumnya sebagai PrediksiProbabilitas Mahjong Ways Menjelaskan Mengapa Hasil Putaran Tidak Harus BerulangDinamika Simbol Mahjong Ways Menunjukkan Perbedaan Susunan pada Setiap Rangkaian PutaranPengendalian Emosi Membantu Pemain Menentukan Waktu Berhenti dalam Sesi Mahjong WaysTiga Game Bertema Mahjong Menawarkan Karakter Visual dan Mekanisme yang BerbedaPersiapan Sebelum Bermain Mahjong Ways PG Soft Membentuk Kebiasaan Pengguna sejak Awal SesiMahjong Ways PG Soft Memadukan Tema Tradisional dengan Animasi Digital ModernKetidakpastian Hasil Mahjong Mendorong Rasa Penasaran Pemain pada Setiap SesiFitur Pengganda Mahjong Ways PG Soft Berperan Penting dalam Mekanisme PermainanMahjong Ways dan Mahjong Ways 2 Memicu Perdebatan tentang Persepsi Pola Gacor PemainMahasiswa Menelusuri Fakta Permainan Mahjong dari Rasa Tidak Peduli hingga Ingin TahuMahjong Ways Menonjolkan Simbol Ubin, Gates of Gatot Kaca Mengangkat Tema MitologiPerbedaan Teknologi dalam Mahjong Ways dan Mahjong Ways 2 yang Mempengaruhi Pengalaman PemainMahjong Ways dan Gates of Gatot Kaca 1000 Ramai Dibahas Penggemar Game Digital JakartaObrolan Angkringan Menggambarkan Cara Pemain Membahas Pengalaman Mahjong PG SoftDetail Mahjong yang Sering Terabaikan saat Pemain Terlalu Fokus pada HasilCerita Pedagang Gorengan Menggambarkan Istilah Mahjong PG Soft yang Sering Dibicarakan PelangganSimbol Beruntun Mahjong Ways Menjelaskan Alur Pergantian Simbol antar PutaranWarisan Mahjong Tradisional Terlihat pada Bentuk Ubin dan Identitas Visual Mahjong WaysUbin Mahjong Berawal dari Tradisi Tiongkok hingga Menginspirasi Desain Game ModernPak RT Mengisi Waktu Luang dengan Mengamati Susunan dan Runtuhan Simbol MahjongScatter Hitam Mahjong Wins Super Scatter Ramai Dibahas karena Pengganda hingga x100.000Mahjong Ways dan Mahjong Wins 2 Memiliki Mekanisme Berbeda meski Mengusung Tema UbinScatter Biru Mahjong Ways Ramai di FYP seiring Penyebaran Cuplikan PermainanFOMO Pemain Meningkat saat Hujan Scatter Mahjong Ways 1 dan 2 Ramai DibicarakanPengenalan Simbol Mahjong PG Soft Menguji Ketelitian terhadap Detail Visual PermainanMultiplier x100 Mafia Mayhem Berbeda dari Sistem Pengganda pada Mahjong Ways 2Bonus Akhir Tahun Mahjong Ways PG Soft Perlu Diperiksa melalui Ketentuan ResmiTiga Unsur Mahjong Ways PG Soft yang Membentuk Preferensi dan Pengalaman PemainMitos Scatter Hitam Mahjong Ways Berbeda dari Mekanisme Acak dalam PermainanCerita Tiga Scatter Hitam Memicu FOMO dalam Percakapan Antar PemainMahjong Ways dan Gatot Kaca Super Scatter Menonjol melalui Identitas Permainan BerbedaTradisi Mahjong Menginspirasi Perkembangan Game PG Soft menuju Hiburan Digital ModernPopularitas Mahjong PG Soft Mendorong Perhatian pada Cara Pemain Memaknai PengalamanAdaptasi Mahjong ke Format Digital Mengubah Unsur Tradisional menjadi Pengalaman di LayarDesain Mahjong PG Soft Berkembang melalui Detail Grafis yang Membentuk Identitas PermainanIdentitas Budaya Mahjong PG Soft Terlihat melalui Ornamen dan Simbol Khas AsiaMahjong PG Soft Kembali Menarik Perhatian dalam Siklus Tren Game DigitalTeknologi Animasi Mengubah Ubin Mahjong Tradisional menjadi Pengalaman Visual yang Lebih DinamisMenggali Kebiasaan Pemain dalam Menyusun Strategi di Mahjong PG SoftMahjong PG Soft Kini Dikenal Pengguna melalui Lebih Banyak Kanal DigitalSmartphone Memperluas Cara Pengguna Mengenal dan Mengakses Mahjong WaysKomunitas Digital Membentuk Beragam Pandangan tentang Mahjong Ways berdasarkan Pengalaman PenggunaKebiasaan Pengguna Mobile Mengubah Waktu dan Tempat Menikmati Mahjong WaysForum Online Menjadi Ruang Diskusi Mahjong Ways bagi Beragam Kelompok PenggunaRutinitas Sebelum Bermain Menunjukkan Perbedaan Persiapan Pengguna Game PG SoftMahjong Treasures Menawarkan Identitas Tema Tersendiri dalam Katalog PG SoftPilihan Game PG Soft Membentuk Cara Pemain Baru Menjelajahi Beragam Kategori PermainanGangguan Aktivitas Harian Dapat Menjadi Tanda Kebiasaan Judi Online Mulai BermasalahJudi Online Dapat Memengaruhi Hubungan Keluarga melalui Tekanan Finansial dan Perubahan KomunikasiMahjong Ways Berkembang Seiring Pertumbuhan Tren Game Digital Berbasis InternetRumus Mahjong Ways yang Beredar Perlu Dinilai berdasarkan Prinsip Keacakan PermainanRagam Game Mahjong PG Soft Menunjukkan Perkembangan Konsep dalam Satu Tema PermainanFortune Gods Menggunakan Unsur Mitologi untuk Membentuk Identitas Visual Permainan PG SoftAnalisis Cara Kerja Simbol Mahjong Ways dalam Setiap Putaran Permainan