Studying the theory of governmental science feels incomplete without balancing it with practical experience in governance. Students do not want to understand governmental science merely from a theoretical perspective; they aspire to comprehend how governance operates in the field. Achieving a proportional understanding of both theory and practice is the goal of today’s governmental science students.
Last week, students from the Governmental Science Program at Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang conducted a Field Study (SE) at various locations. Impressively, within one week, they visited six prominent and critical institutions within Indonesia's government structure: the Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform (Kemenpan RB), the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri), the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the Provincial Government of Jakarta, MetroTV, and Trans7. During these visits, students gained substantial insights into practical governance. Amin Agus, the coordinator of the SE program, remarked, “Alhamdulillah, our visits to these institutions were fruitful; we gained extensive knowledge about governance practices,” he said.
The SE program, attended by 43 students, began with a visit to Kemenpan RB. At the ministry, the students were warmly welcomed by Teguh Widjinarko, Deputy Assistant for Policy Formulation in the State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform Program. The students engaged in a dialogue with Kemenpan RB representatives about bureaucratic management. The ministry emphasized that in the era of reform, bureaucracy can no longer serve as a passive instrument of the state. Bureaucracies are now required to work professionally to fulfill state duties, particularly in public service. Kemenpan RB is making every effort to realize professional bureaucracies by reforming legal frameworks, structures, and cultures. These three reforms are priority agendas for Kemenpan RB to create effective bureaucracies. "The reform era demands professional bureaucracies to perform their duties effectively. Therefore, we strive to achieve this through legal, structural, and cultural reforms," explained Widjinarko.
Following the visit to Kemenpan RB, the students continued their journey to the Provincial Government of Jakarta. They were warmly received by Prof. [Name], Assistant for Governance of Jakarta Province. Prof. [Name] expressed joy and pride over the visit from UMM Governmental Science students. "We are delighted by this visit from UMM students in Malang. It reflects their willingness to understand the governance of Jakarta Province," he said with a smile. During the Q&A session, students were attended to by four department heads: the Head of Government Affairs, the Head of Transportation, the Head of Regional Planning (Bappeda), and the Head of Legal Affairs. These officials warmly and openly engaged with the students, addressing questions primarily focused on the design and implementation of Jakarta’s urban management policies.
The visits to KPK, Kemendagri, Trans7, and MetroTV were equally engaging as the ones to Kemenpan RB and the Jakarta Provincial Government. All six institutional visits ran smoothly and successfully. The students left with a wealth of experiences and knowledge. Tiwi, a sixth-semester Governmental Science student, commented, “I am very satisfied with this activity. All the initial plans were fulfilled well, and we managed to visit every institution on the itinerary,” she said. Agus, another sixth-semester student, echoed her sentiment, saying, “In principle, everything went according to plan. This has been a valuable experience for all of us in understanding how governance is implemented in practice,” he said with enthusiasm.
