President Prabowo Subianto held a four-hour discussion on Thursday with hundreds of leaders of public and private universities at the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta.
During the discussion, Prabowo talked about the role of education in giving Indonesians the skills for high-quality employment. He also expressed hope that universities would serve as the backbone of research in the country and contribute to government programs.
"The President spoke about Indonesia and the global situation, its strategic position and the nation's strong potential to become a developed country," said Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Brian Yuliarto after the meeting, as quoted by tempo.co.
Brian said the gathering had been attended by rectors from 124 public universities across Indonesia, along with four private university rectors and representatives of the Higher Education Service Institutions (LLDIKTI), among others.
President Prabowo also invited deans, particularly in the fields of economics, engineering and agriculture, to discuss the country's future economic growth.
The President talked about Indonesia's future and called for advancements in science and technology to support progress.
He also stressed the importance of maintaining integrity in academia to instill a culture of intolerance to corruption from an early stage.
Prabowo also said the country's newly established sovereign wealth fund Danantara would be a driving force for strategic industries and expressed hope that universities would serve as the backbone of research, innovation and human resource development to support the industries' growth.
Brian said the discussion was productive and that the President received many questions and a lot of input from academics.