UNAIR NEWS – Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) held a sending off ceremony for 2,148 participants of 63rd Community Service Program (KKN) Learning with Community (BBM) on Sunday, January 17, 2021. The ceremony was conducted online via Zoom and streamed on YouTube. At least, there are 207 student groups consisting of 10-15 students and 180 independent groups.
Participants in the 63rd BBM KKN are spread across 24 provinces from Papua to North Sumatra and some are in Kedah, Malaysia. The theme of the 63rd KKN BBM is community development in the 2020-2021 pandemic era. All participants were supervised by 9 coordinators and 79 field supervisors.
Head of Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) UNAIR, Dr. Gadis Meinar Sari, dr., M.Kes (Dr. Gadis) said that the 63rd KKN BBM was carried out in a blended method, online and offline by prioritizing health protocols. There are 4 areas of KKN, health, education, business planning, & the environment.
“In each field of work there are priority programs,” continued Dr. Gadis.
Priority programs in the health sector are related to covid-19 vaccination and livestock-fish vaccination. Meanwhile in education is zero illiteracy. The priority program in the field of business planning is family economic education to adjust to the impact of the pandemic on families. Meanwhile in the environmental sector, it is related to eco-green, eco-tourism and urban digitalization.
Prof. Mohammad Nasih, SE., MT, Ak., CMA (Prof. Nasih) as UNAIR Rector in his speech said that in order for KKN to provide maximum added value for students and society during a pandemic, it must use maximal involvement of technology, not only ordinary technology, but the latest technology that allows optimal interaction. Besides, students can get added value, experience, learning, and knowledge and skills from the community, KKN must also provide optimal added value for the community where students do the community service program.
“Added value, experience, learning, and knowledge are not only gained by students but also the community,” he continued.
Prof. Nasih also explained that the KKN process is also an effort to create independent learning, students can learn together with the community or students can learn from community. KKN is also a form of implementing UNAIR’s strategy, Smart University.
According to him, one of the strategies embodied in the Community Service Program is sustainable education for all. In this concept, one of the designs is how our education can provide something relevant to student life in the future.
“The relevance of education, the relevance of science, the relevance of technology given to our students, we ensure that only something that will be useful for their lives in the future. Where in the future, it will be different from today, especially when compared to their lives in the past years, “said Prof. Nasih.
Sustainable education also emphasizes flexibility. The concept of flexibility, all UNAIR students are expected to learn anywhere, from anyone, anytime, and learn continuously as long as they live.
“Learn from anyone, it doesn’t have to be from the lecturers because all the elements in front of us, in our environment are our lecturers, our teachers and even from enemies. So we must be able to take lessons from all of them, “he explained.
Prof. Nasih hopes that this time KKN can optimally become the implementation of UNAIR’s strategy to contribute significantly and provide added values for UNAIR students and graduates who have excellence with morality. Prof. Nasih also appealed to all academic community members, especially KKN participants, in addition to providing a maximum impact on the community, they also preserve the good name of UNAIR.
As UNAIR has Excellence with Morality for its motto, the students assisted by coordinators and supervising lecturers are expected to show the value of Excellence with morality at KKN locations.
“At least we can all implement or not violate the norms of morality in society,” continued Prof. Nasih.
At the end of his speech, Prof. Nasih also reminded that one of the outcomes of the education process at UNAIR was to produce great generations. So Prof. Nasih hopes that UNAIR graduates and students can become great UNAIR knights who are humble, excellent, brave, agile, and transcendent.
Author: Galuh Mega Kurnia
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
