Indonesia
The professorships of 11 academics at Indonesia’s Universiti Rambung Mangkrat (ULM) were revoked shortly after their appointment on October 10 due to allegations of academic fraud, but experts say the phenomenon is a sign that Indonesia’s higher education standards are It is pointed out that this is causing damage and loss of trust.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology has received a report from an anonymous whistleblower that at least 11 professors, mostly from the Faculty of Law, had published academic papers in what are commonly referred to as “predatory journals”. An investigation team was dispatched. A journal that publishes papers primarily in exchange for payment, with minimal peer review and almost guaranteed acceptance.
The professorships were revoked this month and the university’s accreditation status changed from A to A last month after the ministry found that the professors had paid Rp 70 million to Rp 135 million (US$ 4,500 to USD 8,640) in publishing fees. Downgraded to C. .
Academics still teach at universities, but they don’t have the title of professor.
A further 20 ULM professors from various faculties are currently under investigation by the Ministry’s Inspector General on similar charges, and more are expected to be summoned for investigation by the Ministry. The ministry’s investigation will include proving that they followed the correct procedures to obtain the professorship.
systemic problem
Areef Anshoury, a senior lecturer in economics at Bandung-based Padjadjaran University, said the incident was the “tip of the iceberg” of systemic problems at Indonesian universities.
Anshoury, who is also a member of the Indonesian Parliamentary Association for Academic Freedom (KIKA), said the same phenomenon of professorial candidates cheating the system is happening at other universities. “If we screen all Indonesian professors, half of them might be disqualified,” he argued in comments to University World News.
University presidents themselves encourage lecturers to accelerate their path to professorships in order to enhance the university’s reputation. Universities with a good reputation have a better chance of attracting funding and larger academic projects.
“Every university wants to be in the top 10 or top 20 (in the country),” Ansholy said, adding that “some of them are ambitious to become ‘world class’ universities.” added. So they go to great lengths to achieve it, often at the expense of academic ethics and integrity. ”
ULM President Ahmad Alim Bari said his university has set a goal of becoming one of the top 20 universities in Indonesia next year (2025).
“The incident of 11 professors will not prevent us from achieving that goal. We have 124 new professors this year, making 11 professors insignificant. ” he said at a press conference on October 7 in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan province, where the university is located.
The number of professors, especially the professor-student ratio, is an important quality indicator for universities.
The requirements set by the Ministry for applying for a professorship include the need to have at least one article published in an international scientific journal listed in the Scopus index and at least 10 years of teaching experience. It will be done.
The Scopus interdisciplinary database of peer-reviewed publications is considered the global standard for high-quality academic journals, books, and related literature.
However, as the research team discovered, 11 ULM professors resorted to publishing in journals that did not meet this standard.
network
Anonymous sources told University World News that the illegal practice of academics using predatory journals to secure professorships is linked to networks “only known to certain people.” It is said that they are doing so. This secret network involves several government officials inside and outside the Ministry of Education, as well as magazine editors.
The ministry’s investigation found that some members of the Ministry of Education’s evaluation team, which is responsible for recommending and evaluating applications for professorships, sought approval for professorships even though they were not published in Scopus indexed journals. It was also found that he had committed ethical violations such as soliciting bribes from applicants. .
Lukman (one name), the ministry’s human resources director, told BBC News Indonesian that this type of academic misconduct was not found only at ULM, but was the work of “individuals” manipulating the system. He pointed out that he was sanctioned accordingly.
“Competition” for professorships
According to Asep Sayeful Muftadi, professor of communication studies at the National Islamic University of Sunan Gunung Jati Bandung, competition among universities to increase the number of gul besar (a term meaning professor in Indonesian) This is a new phenomenon.
“The number of professors is an indicator of a university’s reputation and quality. But what is ignored is how to achieve it,” he told University World News.
He described the race to increase the number of professors as “out of control” and said “quick steps are needed to get this back on track.” Otherwise, the quality of teaching will deteriorate significantly. ”
Muftadi said regulations and procedures for obtaining professorships need to be strengthened and made more effective before the situation worsens.
He pointed out that the desire to become Guru Besar is also widespread among Indonesia’s elites, mainly politicians.
“It now seems easier for officials and politicians to sacrifice academic ethics and integrity to become professors,” he added.
The Forum of Professors of the Technical University of Bandung (FGB ITB) pointed out a loophole in the Higher Education Law that allows part-time lecturers to be granted professorships under certain conditions and based on the recommendation of the university where they work.
According to the forum, universities have tacit knowledge based on experience of academic expertise that contributes to the development of science and communities.
“Unfortunately, this (quality control) is not being done and as a result many people obtain professorships even though they do not have full-time positions at universities,” the group said. said in a written statement.
It added that resorting to unethical behavior to obtain professorships could lower the country’s academic standards and undermine trust in Indonesia’s educational institutions.
