Despite Remaining Low, Higher Education Participation Rates Show an Increase

Higher education is a means of improving the quality of Indonesia's Human Resources for the future. Therefore, the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education needs to take more serious steps to increase the Gross Participation Rate (GPR) in higher education, which remains low compared to South Korea's 92%.

According to BPS data, the GPR at the higher education level in Indonesia is only 27.98%. This means that higher education access has not yet reached one-third of the active-age population (19-23 years old). Looking at the gender proportion, the gross participation rate for women in higher education has reached 30.05%, surpassing male students who only reached 26%. This higher GPR for women in higher education compared to men has been observed since 2012.

The GPR in higher education is still far from the government's target of 35% in 2015 and approximately 60-70% in 2045. Despite remaining low, the GPR in higher education has steadily increased each year; for example, it rose to 23.06% in 2013 from 18.85% the previous year due to an increase in student quotas. With the rapid development of information technology, it is hoped that universities can implement distance learning programs to increase the GPR in higher education.