Surabaya, May 17, 2025 — The Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK), Prof. Dr. Pratikno, M.Soc.Sc, inaugurated the new Universitas Terbuka (UT) Surabaya building on Jl. Ir. Soekarno, MERR, Surabaya, on Saturday (May 17). The inauguration of this new UT Surabaya building is a strategic effort by UT to strengthen the infrastructure for distance learning (PJJ) in the East Java region and surrounding areas. It further solidifies UT Surabaya’s role as the vanguard of broader, more flexible, innovative, and quality-oriented higher education. This event also marked the launch of the innovative Pondok Pesantren-Based Universitas Terbuka Service Center (SALUT) program, extending access to higher education to religious boarding school environments. 

The inauguration was attended by several high-ranking officials, including the Deputy at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, Prof. Ojat Darojat, M.Bus., Ph.D., the Vice Governor of East Java, Emil Elestianto Dardak, regents and mayors from various regions in East Java, representatives from Nahdlatul Ulama, academics, and community leaders. 

In his speech, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Prof. Dr. Pratikno, M.Soc.Sc expressed appreciation for UT’s commitment to building an open and distance higher education (PTTJJ) ecosystem to open access to education for the wider community, especially those in remote areas, working, or facing time and cost limitations. 

“The presence of UT is very strategic to inclusively improve human resources, especially for people living in remote areas. UT is here to bridge the gap in access to higher education. This is an important part of fostering superior and globally competitive Indonesian human resources,” said Prof. Pratikno.

 

Prof. Pratikno also emphasized the importance of producing graduates who are not only academically skilled but also relevant to industry needs and global challenges. Furthermore, Prof. Pratikno highlighted the challenges in the digital era, particularly technological literacy amid the rapid use of gadgets, which has reached an average of seven hours per day. He asserted that UT needs to take a more active role in educating the public about the wise use of digital technology. 

The Vice Governor of East Java, Emil Elestianto Dardak, also present at the event, stated that online and independent learning models, such as those implemented by UT, are highly relevant amidst current global challenges and changes. 

“UT provides extraordinary independent distance learning. This certainly benefits UT because it emphasizes independent learning,” he said. 

He also highlighted the global phenomenon of open education, referring to the US President’s plan to establish an open-source university that provides free public teaching materials. According to him, this model aligns with UT’s concept. 

However, Emil Dardak reminded the importance of shifting the orientation from mere qualifications to competencies. He emphasized that diplomas no longer guarantee employment because what is now valued is competence. 

The inauguration of the new UT Surabaya building also marked a significant moment of synergy between UT and pesantren in character building and strengthening the quality of Indonesian human resources across the board. 

“There are two important things today: the inauguration of the building and the Pesantren-based SALUT. This shows that UT is not only physically present but also embraces pesantren as strategic partners in educating the nation,” said Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno. 

It is known that the Pondok Pesantren-Based SALUT program, launched concurrently with this inauguration, is a form of UT’s innovation in integrating religious values and technology-based higher education. The Rector of UT, Dr. Mohamad Yunus, S.S., M.A., affirmed that UT’s cooperation with various pesantren has been ongoing in many regions and will continue to be developed according to the needs and characteristics of each pesantren. 

The Director of UT Surabaya, Dr. Suparti, M.Pd., explained that in addition to pesantren, the inauguration of the new UT Surabaya building is also an important moment for UT Surabaya to expand collaboration with local governments and the community in building a lifelong learning ecosystem, aligning with UT’s commitment to supporting the national agenda of improving superior and competitive human resources. 

“This inauguration is the starting point for a long journey towards superior Indonesian human resources. We continue to strengthen collaboration with local governments and the wider community. UT Surabaya is now embracing a transformation of distance education that is more flexible, inclusive, and quality-oriented,” she emphasized. 

Furthermore, Dr. Suparti, M.Pd., explained that this new building is not just a physical structure but a symbol of transformation and UT’s grand vision in providing flexible, modern, and adaptive higher education services to the developments of the times. 

“This building serves as a strong foundation for the future of higher education that is easily accessible to anyone, from anywhere. We believe that education is a right for all citizens, and UT is here to bridge that hope,” said Suparti. 

Built with an environmentally friendly concept (green building), the building is equipped with academic interaction spaces, student service centers, digital learning facilities, and online learning content production studios. With this infrastructure, UT Surabaya is ready to answer the challenges of education digitalization and expand its service reach throughout East Java. 

UT Surabaya currently serves 79,114 students from the Surabaya, Malang, and Jember areas, with 37,754 students from Surabaya alone. This number indicates high public trust in UT’s flexible and quality learning model.