Passing the Second Year of Funding, the Marine Science Study Program of Udayana University Holds a Kick Off Implementation of the 2023 Merdeka Campus Competition Program

The Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology has established the Merdeka Campus policy in 2020 as a form of higher education transformation with the main objective of increasing the quality and relevance of undergraduate program graduates. For this reason, the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research and Technology seeks to encourage, facilitate and accelerate universities in implementing the Independent Campus policy through the implementation of the Independent Campus Competition Program (PK-KM).

The 2023 program is still designed in 3 (three) leagues where State Universities (PTN) and Private Universities (PTS) can compete fairly according to the rules of each league and also pay attention to geographical/regional aspects.

The Marine Science Study Program (IKL) at Udayana University (Unud) which was declared the winner in the first year, was again declared eligible to receive funding in the second year of implementation (2023) along with 165 other study programs from 83 universities in Indonesia. This determination of eligibility is of course a matter of pride, considering that IKL is the only study program representative declared as the winner within Udayana University.

As a symbolic manifestation of the commencement of the implementation of this PKKM, the Faculty of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of Udayana University through the IKL Study Program held a Kick Off event for Implementation of the Second Year Independent Campus Competition Program at the Aston Kuta Hotel and Residence on Friday (28/07/2023).

In the event, the invitees who attended were faculty leaders (Deans) at Udayana University, 10 Free Learning Campus Merdeka (MBKM) partners, lecturers and students from the Faculty of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Udayana University.

In his remarks, the Dean of the Faculty of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Prof. Dr. Ir. I Wayan Nuarsa, M.Si said that higher education through the study programs it organizes must be able to prepare students to become university graduates who are true learners who are competent, flexible and tenacious (agile learners), ready to contribute positively to nation building and become global citizens who productive.

The Dean said that this kind of transformation must be open and provide broad opportunities for students to enrich and improve their insights and competencies in the real world according to their talents, potential and aspirations. "Higher education's interaction with the community, institutions outside the campus, and the business and industrial world (DUDI) must be built effectively so as to provide opportunities for students to carry out various activities outside the campus in order to gain contextual learning experiences," he added.

This PKKM activity will be carried out until December 15 2023, the expected outcome is that with the establishment of cooperation between universities and the Business and Industrial World (DUDI), universities can carry out the MBKM Program independently and sustainably. Simultaneously, universities can also improve the quality of their lecturers through cooperation with them.