Jakarta, May 8, 2025 – Universitas Terbuka (UT) once again achieved a brilliant accomplishment by winning the ‘Sustainable Impact in Inclusive Lifelong Learning’ award at the 2025 Mata Lokal Award, held at the Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta, on Thursday, May 8, 2025. This award recognizes UT’s contribution to creating sustainable impact through the provision of inclusive education accessible to all, especially in supporting lifelong learning. UT proves its role as a key agent of sustainable change through innovative Community Engagement (PkM) programs that provide real benefits to the wider community.
The 2025 Mata Lokal Award is part of the Mata Lokal Fest organized by Tribun Network. This event carried the theme “Cutting Edge for Local Sustainability” and served as a platform to celebrate the success of individuals and institutions that have made a positive impact in creating sustainability. The event also included other important agendas, such as a Summit and Festival, featuring various speakers and collaborators who promote sustainable movements at local and global levels.
UT garnered attention at this event due to its dedication to carrying out the Tri Dharma of Higher Education, focusing on community engagement through PkM programs integrated with the university’s grand mission. Through its PkM programs, UT plays a part in addressing social and educational problems faced by various regions in Indonesia, especially those in remote areas. By involving students in various real initiatives, UT not only provides academic learning but also encourages students to contribute directly to community development.
Prof. Dr. Paken Pandiangan, S.Si., M.Si., Vice-Rector for Information Systems and Student Affairs at UT, received the award. In his speech, he stated that UT continues to strive to increase access to higher education in Indonesia. Amidst the low higher education participation rate in Indonesia, which has only reached 31 percent, UT offers a solution by providing flexible education that can be accessed by anyone, anywhere. Currently, UT serves more than 1.7 million students, including approximately 700,000 active students. “This award is a recognition. With this award, we hope to continue to improve and provide the best service to the Indonesian people, including community service for those in urban areas who wish to upgrade their skills; we will serve them as best as possible,” added Prof. Paken Pandiangan.
As a university with a distance learning system, UT provides learning opportunities for those from low economic backgrounds, those who are working, or those living in hard-to-reach areas. This aligns with UT’s vision, which always prioritizes the principle of “Making Higher Education Open to All,” allowing anyone, from anywhere, to pursue higher education without being limited by distance and time. UT also utilizes technology to facilitate more inclusive and adaptive learning processes.
Not only focusing on local education, UT also runs the Inter-Nation Cultural Development program as part of global cultural diplomacy. This program brings together students from various countries to directly learn about Indonesian culture and collaborate with communities in various regions. This program has now become one of UT’s routine agendas in enhancing global understanding and strengthening international relations through education.
As part of its ongoing commitment, UT also allocates significant funds for research and PkM. In 2025, UT invested IDR 40 billion for research and PkM, which is larger than the previous year. A total of IDR 32.5 billion was allocated for research with 550 research titles involving students, while IDR 8.9 billion was used to fund 384 PkM proposals implemented in various regions of Indonesia, including border areas and neighboring countries such as Timor Leste and Malaysia.
This award further reinforces UT’s position as a university that not only prioritizes the quality of education but also plays an important role in creating a broad social impact. By combining knowledge, innovation, and real action, UT continues to strengthen its role as an agent of change that promotes sustainability in education and society.
