Prabowo Engages 1,200 Humanities Scholars in Policy Dialogue

Jakarta: President Prabowo Subianto on Thursday held a closed-door dialogue with 1,200 professors, deans, and university rectors in Jakarta, focusing on academic and policy issues in the social sciences and humanities.

Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Stella Christie said the meeting reflected the government’s growing emphasis on social humanities, following earlier consultations that largely centered on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

“Previously, discussions tended to focus more on STEM. This dialogue shows that social sciences and humanities are now receiving serious attention,” Stella said ahead of the meeting at the Presidential Palace, as quoted by Antara on Thursday, January 15, 2026.

The dialogue began at 9 a.m. and opened with a briefing by President Prabowo, followed by an interactive discussion involving academics from universities across the country.

“We are very pleased that the president is willing to engage directly with the academic community,” Stella added.

Participants included senior academics wearing full academic regalia bearing their institutions’ insignia, while others attended in formal business attire.

Several senior government officials were also present, including State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, and Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto.

The dialogue aimed to strengthen communication between the government and higher education institutions, particularly in aligning social sciences and humanities research with national education priorities and policy development.

Thursday’s meeting followed a similar dialogue held in March 2025 with STEM professors, part of a series of targeted consultations designed to incorporate academic perspectives into national policy formulation and long-term development planning.

Prabowo’s engagement with universities underscores his broader effort to involve higher education institutions more actively in shaping Indonesia’s strategic direction, including social, economic, and technological policies.