By: Fuad *)
Palangka Raya – University of Palangka Raya (UNPAR) is one of State University proudly in Kalimantan tengah (Kalteng). Unpar is the oldest university in Kalteng.
The students of UNPAR are from various level of class and also from other Kalteng. UNPAR provide many faculty and program study, such as agriculture.
The applying of single tuition in this campus assumed not equal enough for students. Moreover, they also must pay for money out of tuition fee. It made them angry and piqued.
In the aftermath, 70 students of agriculture consisted of agribusiness, foresty, fishery, and cultivation agriculture academic year 1014/2015. They did action in front of office university head UNPAR, Tuesday (13/1/2015). Their action was to sue the head the university to adjust single tuition (Uang Kuliah Tunggal/UKT), in order appropriate to their economic capability of them, even their parents.
Both of students from low and high economic capability joined together in this action. They did it to show the solidarity among them.
Coordinator of action, Ali Wardana, said that they pushed rector to adjust the UKT and adaptable to their economic capability.
“The current number of UKT that students paid must be adjusted and adapted to the economic capability of students their selves. It was because on contrary many students from lower level (capability economic) got in the high UKT level, whereas their parents only work as laborer and farmer in the hometown,” said him.
Ali, student from Agriculture faculty, explained that they had sent letter about grievance UKT to the rector.
“Before we do this action, we had sent letter about grievance UKT to the rector on 20 December last year. But, we had not received any news yet about out letter. Meanwhile, a few days later, the paying UKT for next semester will begin. If there is no lowering of UKT, it is likely that some of our friends will be not continue their study because they cannot pay for UKT,’’ said him.
Else adjust the grouping of UKT, students also sued to the rector for more transparent about budgeting of UKT. Also they sued rector to stop about paying out of UKT.
“paying out of UKT (Pungli) often happen, such as we must pay for clothes in the counter 1 academic and Student Affairs Administration (administrasi Akademik dan Kemahasiswaan /BAAK), and the clothes is obligated for fresh students, paid for the book (diktat) and practice. Based on the rules of ministry education, it forbid to pay out of UKT its self,” added Ali wardana.
In other side, the office of university head, through assistant dean I of university, Prof. Dr. I Nyoman Sudyana, M.S, explained about how the system to grouping UKT, he explained that the faculty itself decided grouping of UKT. “The base principle, you was right what you did, but the case of grouping UKT, it had decided by your faculty,” said him
After responding the case that sues by students, office of university head invited student to come in hall of head office for logging reset. “We will log reset and deliver to the faculty about students data who want descend the grouping of UKT in their faculty,” said him.
*) The author is Kalimantan Regional Contributors
