UNAIR NEWS – The Faculty of Public Health (FKM) as part of Universitas Airlangga has also implemented one of the innovations from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemendikbud Ristek RI) in the form of Independent Campus Freedom of Learning (MBKM) Program. Students’ creativity and abilities can be facilitated through independent learning opportunities according to their talents and interests through this program.
The Dean of FKM, Dr. Santi Martini, dr., M.Kes said that before the Ministry of Education and Culture initiated the MBKM program, FKM had used a similar concept.
“Previously, the MBKM concept had been carried out for a long time, since the beginning of the curriculum structure there were PKL, mandatory internships, and research for thesis,” said Santi, Thursday, October 20, 2021, via Zoom.
According to Dr. Santi, 29 students are taking part in the Merdeka Campus program provided by the Ministry of Education and Culture Research and Technology through selection and carried out in the country. They include Certified Independent Studies, Campus Teaches program, domestic student exchange, Indonesian Student Micro-Credentials (KMMI), Research in the form of PKM funding qualification, and independent internship. One student is taking part in IISMA at the University of Glasgow, UK.
“In the last ten years, FKM has also implemented student exchange abroad, and students attend conferences to present their scientific papers,” said the Epidemic expert.
In addition, in FKM, there are also humanitarian projects, especially during the pandemic. “With this program, many students respond and are directly involved so that we as managers also support students to learn from stakeholders outside the campus,” explained Dr. Santi.
As the Dean, Dr. Santi fully supports the programs that students follow. According to her, students can improve their knowledge and hone their skills by participating in these programs. In addition, it also adds to the network of these students.
Although the faculty supports the students in the program, Dr. Santi, said that FKM accommodates students who choose to continue studying on campus.
“We provide a curriculum that already exists in FKM, but with MBKM, we agree that it can accommodate students who want to know more outside campus,” she said.
Closing the interview session, Dr. Santi said that the planned program would run well. “In addition to curriculum readiness, it is also related to technical funding from the government. If it is obtained, students will get full support to participate in the funding,” she concluded. (*)
Author: Tata Ferliana W.
Editor : Binti Q. Masruroh
