Academia
Deputy Defense Minister and newly inaugurated University of the Republic of Indonesia (URI) Governor Donny Ermawan Taufanto (right) talks to journalists on Wednesday as Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) professor and URI Deputy Governor Yos Sunitiyoso looks on at the State Palace in Central Jakarta. ((Courtesy of Presidential Secretariat/Muchlis Jr)
President Prabowo Subianto has once again taken what many observers describe as an impulsive policy step, raising eyebrows among academics and policy experts. This time, the controversy surrounds the establishment of the University of the Republic of Indonesia (URI), a project announced without any publicly available policy study or broad institutional consultation.On July 22, the President appointed Deputy Defense Minister Donny Ermawan Taufanto as Governor of URI and Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) professor Yos Sunitiyoso as Deputy Governor through Presidential Decree No. 80/P/2026. According to Donny, URI will integrate education from primary and secondary schools to higher education, while also incorporating existing government training institutions. The new institution is expected to oversee three institutions: the National Institute of Public Administration (LAN), together with two newly established agencies, the National Excellence Schools Management Agency and the Higher Education Management Agency.
