MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, YOGYAKARTA – Global university rankings have seen a shift in dominance from Western Europe and the United States to East Asia, and even to regions like Latin America, including Brazil and Mexico. This trend presents an opportunity for Indonesian universities to improve their global standing, despite their current lower rankings in the 2024 and 2025 World University Rankings.
President of Muhammadiyah Haedar Nashir stressed the importance of inclusivity and collective efforts in advancing the higher education system in Indonesia. Speaking at the Rector Handover Ceremony at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) on December 30, he emphasized that progress cannot rely solely on state universities.
Currently, the University of Indonesia ranks highest among Indonesian universities globally. Muhammadiyah-’Aisyiyah higher education institutions, such as UMY, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan (UAD), Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), and Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS), are ranked around 1,200. Despite this, their performance is relatively better than other private universities in Indonesia.
“Indonesia cannot be complacent with policies that focus only on state universities. There is still a long journey ahead,” Haedar said.
He noted that Indonesian universities continue to lag behind institutions in neighboring countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
“We should not assume that Indonesia is already advanced in education. When compared globally, we are still falling behind. We must not settle for being a big fish in a small pond,” he added.
Haedar urged the government to take a more inclusive approach to higher education development, emphasizing the importance of gotong royong, or mutual cooperation, as a core principle of Indonesia’s governance and education system.
