Minister of Education Culture Research and Technology Inaugurated ICE Institute

Prof. Ir. Nizam, M.Sc., Ph.D.,Director Generalof Higher Education, Ministry of Education Culture Research and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) officiated Indonesia Cyber Education (ICE) Institute online on Wednesday, 28/07/2021. The ceremony was attended by the Rectors who join in the Consortium and partners of ICE Institute. The development of ICE Institute is meant to be the digital marketing center for the institutions that provide various online courses and for the benefits of the students.

In her remarks, Head of Indonesia Network for Learning Development or Unit Pengembangan Pembelajaran Dalam Jaringan Indonesia (UPPDJI), Prof. Paulina Pannen, M.LS., stated that there are 14 institutions, both public and private, including the Association of Faculty of Economics & Business Indonesia (AFEBI) joined in the ICE Instituteconsortium. Until now, there are 165 courses that can be used for Freedom of Education for All program (Merdeka Belajar untuk Semua). ICE Institute has also worked together with edX in organizing 1,420 university courses from 55 international universities in the consortium of MIT Harvard. Relo, SPADA, and Kalibrr are the partners of ICE Institute in providing access to the bagi programs. The programs, organized and owned by ICE Institute, can also be utilized by 1,880 accredited private and public universities in Indonesia.

UT’s Rector, Prof. Ojat Darojat, M.Bus., Ph.D., who concurrently serves as the President of ICE Institute Consortium, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Prof. Drs. H. Mohamad Nasir, Ak., M.Si., Ph.D, as Minister of Research Technology and Higher Education of 2015-2019 who has laid down, supported, and then conducted ICE Institute soft launching in 2019. Prof. Ojat added that ICE Institute as the gallery of university courses can be taken and transferred by the students in block chain technology. It is expected that ICE Institute would be able to develop and implement the Merdeka Belajar untuk Semua dan Kampus Merdeka program (Freedom of Education for All and Independent Campus) maximally. 

Prof. Ir. Nizam, M.Sc., Ph.D. appreciated the establishment of ICE Institute 2 years ago and it comes just in the right time. Thus, when the Covid-19 pandemi breaks out, universities would transform rapidly to online learning by utilizing technology. Technology can cope with various obstacles in mitigating Covid-19 pandemic which demand significant volume of mobilization forcing the learning process to be done anywhere and anytime. With the features that ICE Institute has, it is expected that it would be able to perform fair education access and distribution from Sabang in the West to Merauke in the East. ICE Institute provides the opportunity which enables the students to utilize the world-class learning resources.

In the commissioning ceremony, the ICE Institute features demo was performed by the UT’s Vice Rector for Institutional Development and Partnership, Rahmat Budiman, S.S., M.Hum., Ph.D. and ICE Institute Team.