UT Teams Up with the Indonesian Embassy in London to Enhance Its Outreach

On August 9, 2023, Universitas Terbuka (UT) and the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in London successfully established an online collaboration during the Universitas Terbuka Socialization event. This collaboration aimed to expand the reach of UT's higher education services to Indonesian citizens residing in various countries. The collaborative event was attended by Indonesian citizens living in countries such as the United Kingdom, Japan, Hungary, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Greece.

Prof. Dr. Khairul Munadi S.T. M.Eng., the Educational and Cultural Attaché (Atdikbud) of KBRI London, emphasized the importance of expanding UT's higher education services. He expressed that the current global trend shows many leading universities worldwide offering online courses through MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). The presence of Universitas Terbuka and the application of lifelong learning principles are highly relevant in today's era, where higher education should be accessible to all segments of society. Prof. Khairul Mulyadi, who is also a student at FHISIP-UT, highlighted that self-directed learning is a crucial aspect of UT's approach.

Rahmat Budiman, S.S., M.Hum, Ph.D., the Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation, Partnership, and Business of UT, was one of the speakers at the event. He began his presentation by explaining the history of UT's establishment, rooted in the condition where the number of high school graduates reached 1.7 million, but in the 1980s, the number of universities was only 44. He also emphasized that all UT students are required to have learning materials as UT prioritizes self-directed learning for its students. Self-directed learning does not mean learning alone; UT provides students with various learning support services.

Dr. Pardamaean Daulay, M.Si., the Director of UT's International Services Management, provided information during the Q&A session regarding UT's services for students stationed abroad. UT students previously registered in Indonesia through UT Regional Offices (RO) and later moved or received new assignments abroad can continue their studies through coordination with UT RO and UT's International Services Management. He also stressed the importance of updating student profile data if there are changes in personal information such as home address, email address, or phone number, either through MYUT application or by informing UT's International Services Management.

During the event, it was revealed that UT is the 45^th among all state universities in Indonesia, and now UT is the 21^st Legal Entity State University. It successfully outperformed many other universities, making it a reputable institution on the national scale.

This collaboration event provided an opportunity for prospective and current UT students abroad to learn more about the education services offered by the university, which can be utilized during their stay abroad. UT students can connect and communicate through various platforms such as OSMB, WhatsApp groups, and social media.

At the end of the event, selected prospective UT students abroad were given souvenirs as a token of appreciation for their participation in this socialization event. The collaboration between UT and KBRI London is expected to continue and provide broader benefits for Indonesian citizens scattered across the world.