DPR RI is Keen to Support UIII to Continue to Grow

UIII, DEPOK - Chairman of Commission VIII House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI) Ashabul Kahfi said that UIII could become a global campus. He said this after leading the Special Working Visit Team of Commission VIII DPR RI to UIII in Depok City, West Java, on Wednesday, March 26, 2024.

He said UIII could become an international campus like Al-Azhar University in Egypt. UIII has this potential, mainly because Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. "Hopefully, in the future, UIII can really become a global campus, say like Al-Azhar University, because Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, but so far, we have mostly studied Islam in the Middle East, even in America and Canada," he said.

The working visit carried out by the Commission VIII Team to UIII was to carry out its supervisory function and to ensure that the religious moderation program, which is a national priority program of the Indonesian Ministry of Religion Affairs, can be implemented appropriately and comprehensively.

"Today's working visit is related to religious moderation, and of course, one of the information we got was through religious higher education institutions, and we chose UIII, which, of course, has a different spectrum from other religious, educational institutions, because here it is international, so the information "what is here is more plural, more complex and more diverse," said Ashabul.

During this visit, one of the inputs of the Rector of UIII, Prof. Jamhari, was regarding the need for a student visa and the problem of limited lecturers from the lecturer's home base. The Chairman of Commission VIII DPR RI revealed that he would follow up on this input; this was done so that UIII could become a university that would become a destination for international students to study Islamic studies.

"Student visas are necessary, so they come here, right? For students, it's been five years, and so far, it's only been a work visa, right? If it's a work visa, it has to be renewed every year. Then, there were a few obstacles due to the limited lecturers; it wasn't easy either. [...] I think that's what we need to communicate; there were three proposals that I had to support," said Ashabul.

Apart from that, Member of Commission VIII DPR RI, Iskan Qolba Lubis, revealed that UIII currently has a good vision because it is developing Wasathiya Islam. "This is an international issue. It can solve international problems. All that remains is for universities to be more active in socializing it," he said.

According to him, currently, UIII needs two things: increasing the budget and expanding collaboration with educational institutions worldwide, with entrepreneurs, scientists, and officials. He also expressed his commitment that the DPR would help with these two things. "The point is collaboration; we also at the DPR, God willing, will help in terms of budget, and we will also encourage collaboration," he concluded.

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