JAKARTA: A top-ranked local university in Indonesia has announced that the award of a doctorate to a minister will be postponed less than a month later. confirming that he had completed all administrative and academic requirements graduation.
The University of Indonesia (UI) also issued a public apology and said it would temporarily suspend the admission of new students to the School of Strategic and Global Studies’ doctoral program pending a “comprehensive audit” of the administration and academic processes of the program.
The postponement of the doctorate for Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia took place after a “coordination meeting”.
“Ul acknowledges that this problem stems, among other things, from UI’s own shortcomings, and is taking steps to overcome it from both an academic and ethical perspective,” UI Board of Directors Head Dr. Yahya Cholil Staquf said in a press release. On Tuesday (12 November), following an in-depth review of the programme, Mr Bahlil was enrolled as part of efforts to maintain its academic quality and integrity.
Mr. Bahlil reportedly completed the requirements needed to graduate from his research program at the UI School of Strategic and Global Studies last month.
Controversy then arose after it was reported that the minister had completed the program in one year and eight months, instead of the usual three or four years for most candidates at the prestigious university in Indonesia.
The university was ranked first in the country according to the QS World University Rankings 2024.
Local media had reported that there was widespread speculation that Mr Bahlil had allegedly used ‘joki’ services for his academic papers, referring to paying someone to complete the academic assignments on behalf of others.
Speaking to the media, Mr Bahlil – who is also chairman of the Golkar Party – said he considers the postponement of his doctorate to be an administrative error as he is still waiting for the official graduation ceremony and his dissertation. to review.
“What I understand is that (my PhD) is not exactly being postponed; my graduation is scheduled for December and only then will I be considered to have passed the program,” the minister told local news channel Kompas.
“Although I have completed my dissertation, it still requires revisions and (my doctorate) will not be considered complete until those revisions are made.”
He added that he is yet to check the letter sent to him by the university in detail.
“Just ask UI for more details,” he told the media.
Meanwhile, Indonesian netizens have welcomed UI’s move, claiming it was likely a response to mounting public pressure.
“It’s a big step, with the aim of restoring academic integrity, but also a reminder of the cracks in the system,” says a local non-mainstream media platform @nuicemedia on received.
“Well done University of Indonesia for maintaining the reputation of a prestigious institution,” said X user @narkosun.
“When a leading institution loses its integrity, the pursuit of truth becomes biased and unreliable. Scientific integrity protects knowledge from personal interests and ensures that education remains true to its ideals. Thank you, UI, for reaffirming this principle,” said an Instagram user @habibsyadzily in response to a post by local media Kumparan.
“If the issue had not gone viral, would there still be a delay?” a netizen @dr.muslimkasim commented on the same post.
A group of UI alumni had started a petition on October 17 on change.org – the largest petition platform in the world – demanding the formation of an independent team to launch a full investigation into the alleged commercialization of Mr Bahlil’s degree.
The petition demanded that the university revoke Mr. Bahlil’s degree if an investigation revealed that it had in fact been awarded due to violations of applicable regulations.