Denpasar, September 21, 2025 – Universitas Terbuka (UT), through its Foreign Services, officially established a strategic partnership with Sariraya Japan to create the Sariraya Japan Universitas Terbuka Learning Center (SALUT). The signing of the cooperation agreement was held at Universitas Terbuka Denpasar and was attended by UT leaders, representatives from Sariraya Japan, and the academic community of UT Denpasar.
The event was attended by Astri Dwi Jayanti S., M.Ed., Ph.D., Expert Staff for Regional UT Services representing the Vice Rector for Information Systems and Student Affairs; Dr. Pardamean Dly, S.Sos., M.Si., Director of UT Overseas Services; Agus Tatang Sopandi, S.Sn., M.Pd., Director of UT Denpasar; as well as representatives from Sariraya Japan: Ir. AT Hanuranto, MT, Umar Ali Ahmad, Ph.D., Endrian Sofiandi, A.Md., and Teguh Wahyudi, SP, MBA, along with Sugiyanto, M.Ak., as the Head of the Sub-Division for Administration of UT Overseas Services. The event also received a warm welcome from UT Denpasar students who attended, demonstrating a spirit of togetherness and cross-country partnership.
This partnership is a concrete step by Universitas Terbuka to realize its mission of providing world-class higher education services to all levels of society, developing innovative distance learning, and strengthening its partnership network at both national and international levels. The establishment of SALUT Sariraya Japan will strengthen distance higher education services for Indonesian citizens in Japan, especially regarding administrative services, academic support, and learning assistance. UT students in Japan will now have easier, faster, and more convenient access to services that meet their needs, without feeling isolated from the higher education system in their homeland.
This partnership also directly supports the goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 4: Quality Education, which emphasizes inclusive and quality education for all, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, which encourages strategic partnerships for sustainable development. Through this cooperation, UT demonstrates its commitment to expanding the reach of distance education globally and building productive partnerships across sectors and countries.
The Director of UT Foreign Services, Dr. Pardamean Dly, M.Si., affirmed that this partnership has great strategic value. He stated that establishing a SALUT in Japan is not only aimed at providing easy academic services for students but also at strengthening relationships with the Indonesian diaspora community in Japan. According to him, the presence of SALUT Sariraya Japan is a real step in ensuring that open, flexible, and quality higher education can be enjoyed by all Indonesian citizens, wherever they are.
With over 760,000 active students, including 7,488 foreign students spread across more than 58 countries, UT continues to expand its reach by establishing SALUTs in various regions. The presence of SALUT Sariraya Japan is proof of UT’s commitment to strengthening an inclusive distance higher education system, while also encouraging Indonesia’s contribution to creating a smart and competitive global society.
This partnership not only has a positive impact on Universitas Terbuka by increasing its international service capacity but is also very meaningful for Indonesian students in Japan, who now have closer and more personal access to the UT learning system. As a result, they are not only beneficiaries of education but also part of the larger mission to advance Indonesian education on the global stage.
