Minister urges universities boost STEM graduates, meets industry needs

Badung, Bali (ANTARA) - Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto has urged Indonesian universities to produce more graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to meet industry demands and support national development.

Speaking at the opening of the 12th Indonesian National Education Convention in Badung District, Bali, on Friday, Brian noted that the proportion of STEM-related graduates in the country still needs to be increased.

According to data he presented, students majoring in engineering, health, agriculture, as well as mathematics and natural sciences currently make up only about 28 percent of total enrollments.

"The president recently directed us that we must produce significantly more STEM-related graduates. As a growing nation, Indonesia needs expertise related to STEM fields," he said.

The minister noted that strengthening STEM-focused higher education is a shared responsibility to prepare an Indonesian workforce capable of driving industrial and economic growth.

He pointed out that countries successfully escaping the middle-income trap generally have a high rate of graduates in STEM and industry-aligned disciplines.

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Therefore, universities must align their educational programs with national development needs, ensuring graduates possess the skills required to contribute across various industrial sectors.

At the event, Brian also revealed that Indonesia had 11.5 million university students and 328,000 lecturers in 2025, with higher education institutions producing roughly 2.78 million graduates the same year.

These graduates, he continued, are strong capital for Indonesia to support its development agenda through competencies and skills that align with future needs.

Brian also noted that Indonesia had 34,711 degree programs in 2025, with over half hosted by private universities.

Meanwhile, education remains the largest field of study, accounting for 7,745 programs and 3.13 million students. This figure far exceeds engineering, which has 1.69 million students.

Brian highlighted that the large volume of education programs and students presents both a challenge and an opportunity to elevate national education standards.

Advancements in teacher education, he added, will directly drive the overall development of higher education.

He affirmed that through its higher education transformation, the Indonesian government is pushing for the strengthening of innovation, collaboration, and sustainable education to ensure a bigger contribution from higher education in preparing human capital as Indonesia moves towards its Golden Indonesia 2045 vision.

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Translator: Rolandus Nampu, Raka Adji
Editor: Bayu Prasetyo
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