INDOPOSCO.ID – President Prabowo Subianto said he is open to holding monthly meetings with rectors, professors, and academics to gather ideas and innovations from universities to help shape national development policies.
According to Prabowo, discussions with academics should not be limited to one or two meetings. He said he needs input from intellectuals to address the country’s increasingly complex challenges.
“If necessary, we can meet every month. I need to meet with smart people,” Prabowo said while delivering remarks at the 2026 National Symposium of the Science, Technology and Industry Convention (KSTI) attended by rectors and academics in Jakarta on Sunday (June 28, 2026).
Prabowo said universities are centers for generating ideas, innovation, and critical thinking that should be harnessed for the nation’s benefit. Differences of opinion, he added, are a strength as long as they remain within the framework of academic freedom.
“Universities are places where ideas compete, where viewpoints, philosophies, and innovations are debated. Campuses have academic freedom,” he said.
He expressed hope that universities would place greater emphasis on advancing science and technology that deliver tangible benefits to the public. According to Prabowo, educational institutions are funded by the people, so the outcomes of their research and innovation should ultimately benefit society.(nas)
