Dili, Timor Leste, June 16–17, 2025 — Universitas Terbuka (UT) once again reinforced its global commitment to building inclusive and borderless higher education. Through an official visit to Timor Leste, UT established strategic partnerships with several higher education institutions, foundations, and government agencies. This step is part of UT’s efforts to expand its international network and strengthen regional collaboration in open and distance higher education.
Led directly by the Rector of UT, Dr. Mohammad Yunus, S.S., M.A., and accompanied by the Vice Rector for Information Systems and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. Paken Pandiangan, S.Si., M.Si., this visit resulted in the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with various key institutions, including Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e (UNTL), Instituto Politeknico Betano (IPB), as well as several private universities (PTS) and local foundations.
UT and its partners agreed to develop collaboration in various fields, such as:
- Distance learning and digital learning
- Collaborative research and human resource development
- Improving the quality and access to cross-border higher education
In meetings with UNTL leadership, UT emphasized the importance of building an inclusive, sustainable, and open higher education ecosystem for all, especially for communities in areas with limited access to conventional education.
“Universitas Terbuka is here not only for Indonesia but also as an educational bridge in the region. We are ready to support the strengthening of Timor Leste’s human resources through the open and distance learning model that has proven successful in Indonesia,” asserted Dr. Yunus.
In addition to the MoU signing, the Rector of UT also engaged in strategic discussions with key figures, including government representatives, academics, and leaders of educational institutions in Timor Leste. This agenda discussed a shared vision for strengthening education diplomacy and ASEAN regional integration in the field of higher education.
This collaboration is concrete evidence of UT as a State University with Legal Entity Status (PTN-BH) that continuously develops its strategic role at the global level, while also addressing the challenges of 21st-century education that demand flexibility, collaboration, and innovation.
UT is the only State University with Legal Entity Status (PTN-BH) in Indonesia that fully implements a digital technology-based Open and Distance Higher Education (PTTJJ) system. UT has achieved national ‘A’ accreditation and international recognition from prestigious institutions such as the Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation (FIBAA), the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE), and the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU).
Currently, UT has reached over 677,000 students spread across all corners of Indonesia and worldwide, including Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) and the Indonesian diaspora. UT is also recognized as a national and international reference campus in developing digital technology-based distance learning systems and has received various awards in educational innovation, information openness, and institutional governance.
Through strategic partnerships in Timor Leste, UT once again reaffirms its strategic role as an inclusive and borderless campus, opening access to higher education without barriers of distance, time, or social background.
This is the true manifestation of UT’s spirit: Reaching the Unreachable.
