Social Mandate of Higher Education

Ahmad Tholabi Kharlie

REFLECTIONS, annotations or criticism of academics in higher education have recently been hotly discussed in public spaces. One thing that is often noted is the disparity or gap between universities and society. Universities are considered to be absorbed in themselves, without paying attention to the environment around them. The term academic community is in the ivory tower seems to have its context.

The tridharma of higher education (triangle academic) which is an instrument for bringing the academic community closer to the public often becomes just routine work as usual business. Instead of having an ideological value that is contributive and advocative of the public interest, this instrument is often simplified into point conversion for the purposes of lecturer workload reports (BKD), employee performance targets (SKP), and similar reports. Even though it is administrative, reporting is still important as part of your performance accountability as a lecturer.

Recent criticism of the world of higher education must be read as part of an effort to restore the higher education ecosystem to society. The output products produced by universities must reflect the needs and be part of the solution to problems that occur in society.

Scientific tools in the form of theories and measuring tools in research should ideally be combined with a sensitive attitude towards problems that arise in society. Universities should work together with the community as part of collaborative partners, as well as advocates in resolving various problems in society. Research planning is not solely based on budget ceilings, but must also go beyond technical administrative matters.

The role of government through budget politics, policy politics, as well as research bodies, universities through their human resources (HR), and society is absolutely necessary to make academic work in the form of research results grounded and useful for the public interest. The existence of scientific forums must also continue to be carried out to build connectivity between researchers and between scientists and to create good knowledge transformation.

Interaction of civilizations
Scientific meetings which are often held by various agencies, including government, universities and civil society organizations, on various scales, are seen as an effort to bring world civilizations together through the path of science. The exchange of thoughts, ideas and information between scientists makes for a meaningful scientific encounter. Moreover, advances in digital-based information technology increasingly facilitate scientific collaboration between scientists and researchers.

This was also done at the Annual International Conference on Islamic Studies (AICIS) which involved scholars and thinkers from various countries who discussed actual issues studied from the perspective of Islamic studies. Indonesia, as the initiator and host every year, is positioned as a country that has the ideal profile to discuss Islamic, social and even scientific issues in a country with the largest Muslim community demographics in the world with diverse ethnic, religious and racial backgrounds.

In that context, Indonesia is a driver of civilizational interaction through scientific channels with an Islamic studies approach. Like the International Conference which was held 1-4 February 2024 at UIN Walisongo, it discussed the role of religion as part of a solution instrument in current humanitarian problems. A number of issues were discussed, such as nationalism, justice, gender, spirituality, minorities, and the climate crisis.

The initiative initiated by the Ministry of Religion and the academic community of State Islamic Religious Universities (PTKIN) will become a snowball targeting various sectors. The interaction and connectivity of the intellectual-researcher network will grow. The ideas and achievements resulting from these activities will produce follow-up meetings that spread to various areas with the involvement of many people.

From an international geopolitical perspective, this initiation further strengthens Indonesia's role in the global arena, especially in the issue of peace and the role of religion as an important factor in resolving conflicts.

Social mandate
Various efforts to bring the scientific ecosystem closer to the dynamics that occur in society are a manifestation of fulfilling the social mandate of intellectual groups. Even though currently the challenges for intellectual groups are quite complex, amidst the abundant flow of information in society.

Intellectuals in the modern era, according to Francesco Antonelli (2010), have ideal aspirations, namely as interpreters of the needs of the masses (social mediation actions), maintainers of knowledge about history and nature (cognitive actions), and makers of laws (normative actions). This attitude arises from the concept of universal truth which places this group as having moral superiority, namely leading and educating the masses.

Unfortunately, according to Antonelli's notes, in the 19th-20th centuries, intellectual groups became the main workforce in carrying out complex social functions through knowledge bureaucracy, information and cultural systems, as well as politics and public administration.

It was this social and political background that gave birth to the organic intellectuals introduced by Antonio Gramsci (1987), namely bureaucratized intellectuals, that is, they organized the masses and social work as well as being objects organized in a hierarchy.

In the midst of the dynamic development of society supported by massive information technology, Antonelli said that this situation gives birth to molecular intellectuals, which provide many opportunities to give birth to values and projects that can be implemented in society and have the opportunity to realize ideas.

Digital facilities, which are currently an important instrument in social life, are increasingly compatible in fulfilling social mandates by intellectual groups by having space and opportunities to convey ideas, advocate and execute problems that occur in society.

At the same time, collaboration opportunities are also increasingly wide open. In the end, as Christopher Evans stated in The Micro Millennium (1979), "intelligence is the ability of a system to adjust appropriately to a changing world", the academic community must have the ability to adapt to very dynamic changing times like today in order to achieve this. social mandate, there is no other space.

The author is a Professor and Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. The article was published in Media Indonesia, Monday 5 February 2024.