Supporting Student Mothers' Access to Higher Education through Campus Childcare Facilities

Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta demonstrates its commitment to gender equality and inclusive higher education through the provision of on-campus childcare services coordinated by the Center for Gender and Child Studies (PSGA). The University recognises that parenting responsibilities can create significant challenges for female students, particularly mothers who must balance childcare with lectures, academic assignments, examinations, and other educational activities.

By developing childcare facilities within the university environment, UIN Jakarta seeks to reduce practical barriers associated with parenting and support women's continued participation in higher education. During 2024–2025, the University maintained and expanded its daycare initiative, strengthened institutional commitments to a women- and child-friendly campus, and publicly identified female students with young children among the intended beneficiaries of its childcare support.

1. Establishing Campus Childcare Services through PSGA

The University provides childcare services through its Center for Gender and Child Studies, an institutional unit responsible for promoting gender equality, child welfare, and family-responsive initiatives. The daycare programme was originally established in December 2014 as an initiative supporting members of the University community who required childcare while undertaking professional and academic responsibilities.

Following changes to campus operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, the University renewed its childcare provision and expanded the programme in June 2024.The initiative reflects the University's recognition that accessible childcare is an important component of an inclusive academic environment. Rather than requiring parents to arrange childcare entirely outside the institution, the on-campus daycare programme provides an organised setting for the care and development of young children.

2. Expanding Childcare Provision at the Faculty of Medicine in June 2024

On 2 June 2024, PSGA collaborated with the Faculty of Medicine to officially inaugurate a daycare facility at UIN Jakarta's second campus. The inauguration involved University leadership, the Center for Gender and Child Studies, and the Faculty of Medicine. The event was attended by representatives including the Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, the Head of PSGA, and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. University representatives highlighted the importance of creating a campus environment that accommodates childcare responsibilities and supports women's educational and professional participation. The daycare initiative was also connected to the University's wider aspiration to establish a child-friendly and women-friendly academic environment.

The expansion strengthened the University's childcare infrastructure by providing an additional location for families requiring on-campus support. The June 2024 inauguration provides formal institutional evidence that UIN Jakarta implemented a childcare facility during the reporting period.

3. Supporting Female Students with Young Children

An important aspect of UIN Jakarta's childcare initiative is its relevance to female students who are also parents. On 16 October 2025, during public communication surrounding PSGA's institutional initiatives, the University was reported to have developed daycare provision at both its main campus and second campus to support female lecturers and students with young children.

This public statement directly connects the childcare programme with the needs of student mothers. For students with caregiving responsibilities, having childcare facilities located within the university environment can reduce difficulties associated with travelling between home, childcare providers, and academic buildings. Such arrangements are particularly relevant for mothers who must attend lectures, participate in academic discussions, complete practical coursework, or undertake other university responsibilities.

The programme's on-campus locations may also allow parents to remain geographically closer to their children during academic activities. Through these facilities, the University recognises that parenting responsibilities should be considered when developing measures supporting women's participation in higher education. The explicit inclusion of female students with young children among the intended beneficiaries provides evidence relevant to the student-access requirement of THE Impact Rankings Indicator 5.6.4.

4. Providing Childcare during University Activity Hours

Research conducted at UIN Jakarta in 2025 documented the daycare programme's operational arrangements. The study reported that the daycare operated from Monday to Friday, with service hours of 07:30–16:00 from Monday to Thursday and 07:30–16:30 on Friday. These operating hours overlap with regular daytime university activities, making the facility relevant to parents who need childcare while attending classes or fulfilling professional responsibilities.

The study also documented structured activities for enrolled children, including educational play, storytelling, social interaction, physical development activities, and age-appropriate learning. Daily programmes were designed to support children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. The availability of organised childcare during daytime academic hours provides practical assistance to parents who might otherwise face difficulties participating consistently in university activities. The 2025 research described services primarily for children aged approximately two to four years. Therefore, the evidence is strongest for student mothers with toddlers rather than demonstrating childcare availability for newborn infants.

5. Providing Paid Childcare with Flexible Attendance Options

The University's childcare programme operates through a paid-service model. A 2025 field study involving interviews with PSGA representatives documented the daycare's registration and payment process.

According to the study, parents were required to complete registration procedures and could select either daily or monthly childcare arrangements, followed by payment of the applicable fee. The availability of different attendance options provides flexibility for parents whose childcare requirements vary according to their academic or professional schedules. For student mothers, daily attendance may be relevant when childcare is required for particular days of lectures or other academic activities, while monthly attendance may support regular daytime commitments.

The 2025 research confirms that the service involved fees, but the available evidence does not establish a verified official 2025 tariff specifically for female students. Accordingly, the daycare can be described as a paid childcare service, while any specific fees or discounts should be confirmed through the University's daycare administration.

6. Strengthening Childcare Support through the Women- and Child-Friendly Campus Declaration

The University reinforced its institutional commitment to supporting women and children through a formal declaration on 17 December 2024. During an event organised with the Indonesian Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, UIN Jakarta declared its commitment to creating a women- and child-friendly campus. The availability of daycare facilities was identified as one of the University's three principal commitments, alongside protection and reporting mechanisms and the development of gender education. The declaration involved University leadership, PSGA, and representatives from government institutions concerned with women's empowerment and child protection.

This institutional commitment is significant because it demonstrates that childcare facilities form part of the University's broader gender-responsive development agenda. The daycare programme is therefore not merely an isolated service but an identified component of the University's efforts to support women and families within the academic environment.

7. Contribution to SDG 5: Gender Equality

Through its PSGA-coordinated daycare programme, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta has taken practical steps to address childcare responsibilities that may affect women's participation in higher education. The University's childcare provision was expanded in June 2024, and its importance was reinforced through the December 2024 declaration of a women- and child-friendly campus.

During 2025, the programme's operations, childcare activities, and paid attendance arrangements were documented through university-based research. Public reporting in October 2025 also explicitly identified female students with young children as intended beneficiaries of the University's daycare initiative.

Together, these measures demonstrate that UIN Jakarta provides on-campus, paid childcare facilities intended to support female students with young children and help them maintain participation in university activities. The programme contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 5 by reducing parenting-related barriers to academic engagement and recognising the importance of family-responsive support within higher education. Further documentation of student eligibility, the number of student mothers using the service, infant-age admission policies, and official fee arrangements would strengthen the University's evidence of direct student access and service outcomes.

Source :
https://www.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/id/kolaborasi-psga-dan-fk-uin-jakarta-daycare-pertama-resmi-dibuka 
https://megapolitan.antaranews.com/amp/berita/451641/uin-jakarta-perkuat-literasi-pencegahan-kekerasan-seksual-di-lingkungan-kampus 
https://www.repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/bitstream/123456789/89229/1/CD%20FIX%20SKRIPSI%20DITA%20ARDIYANI.pdf 
https://uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/id/sambut-hari-ibu-uin-jakarta-bersama-kemenpppa-ri-deklarasikan-kampus-ramah-perempuan-dan-anak