Connecting the "Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka" and Village Law Policies: Possible Contribution of College Students in Indonesia's Coastal Rural Development

Abstract

Indonesian college students (mahasiswa) have a long tradition of participating in Indonesia’s rural development. Initiated in early 1971 by three national universities, the Kuliah Kerja Nyata program has served rural development by sending mass college students to participate in rural community service agendas. The ministry of education’s recent implementation of ”Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka” policies has expanded students’ opportunities to experience the learning process outside of universities. On the other hand, contemporary rural policies, through the implementation of Village Law 2014, have established village autonomy, thus creating a new space for various actors to participate and collaborate with the village government to conduct development programs. The paper argues that both policies have simultaneously emerged to connect each agenda, which could establish cooperation related to rural development. Here we intend to track and identify what and how students can participate in the rural development agenda by analyzing two different policies specifically in the east coast community of Lampung Province. It is expected that the policy analysis result could decipher various corridors and regulations that could support college students’ involvement in developing rural Indonesia.
 Keywords: rural development, higher education, village autonomy

Customary Sanctions: Social Control of Rural Development

“…Utilization of Village Funds is based on the priority of their use, which has been regulated in the Village Minister Regulation. The local potential of villages from various aspects such as geographical location, socio-cultural conditions, economy, ecology, and the level of vulnerability to disaster threats for each village is different (Yulianto et al, 2023), of course, the priorities for using village funds will also vary and give color to the development dynamics of every village in Indonesia. Research results show that village development actors are still partial, especially regarding planning, implementing activities and monitoring evaluation (Yulianto et al, 2023).…”