Participants' interest in the 2019 State Polytechnic Interest and Ability Search (PMDK-PN) increased by 13 percent. There were 206,852 registered registrants, from last year's 183,827 participants. Of this number, 16,666 participants from 8421 schools of origin, were declared to have passed the selection from 42 state polytechnics organizing PMDK-PN. “This shows that vocational education, whether D3 or S1 Applied, has become an attraction and has high interest.
Even in some polytechnics, there is an increase in registrants of up to 300 percent," said Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education (Menristekdikti) Mohamad Nasir, on the sidelines of announcing the results of the State Polytechnic Interests and Capability Search (PMDK-PN) at the Semarang State Polytechnic (Polines), Tuesday ( 16/4).
He emphasized that vocational education is now continuing to develop, and has become the community's main choice in choosing higher education, specifically engineering, rather than general universities. “I don't want Polytechnic to be a second class or second choice, but it must be the first choice. There are still very few graduates for science and technology," he continued.
Currently, the number of polytechnic students in Indonesia has only reached 150 thousand. He hopes that in the next five years, this number can increase to 1 million students. Not only that, every polytechnic graduate must also have a competency certification, because when applying for a job the question is not about the diploma and origin of the polytechnic, but what skills they have. Of course the expertise is recognized, if you have a certificate of competence, “he continued.
For this reason, his party encourages every polytechnic in Indonesia to be equipped with a competency test place (TUK). The amount adjusts to the study program or department in each polytechnic. The Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education has also prepared scholarships for prospective students through the PMDK-PN and UMPN channels. "The Bidik Misi Scholarship is prepared for 10,000 prospective polytechnic students who pass the selection through the PMDK-PN route and the National Polytechnic Entrance Examination (UMPN)," he explained.
Nasir hopes that later PMDK-PN can be carried out together with the SNMPTN Bidikmisi program, so that it will be more efficient. “I have asked since 2017 for the selection to be one with a state university. But because the systems can't be merged, this year we can't, maybe in the future we can combine them. For now, ISI can join the selection process," he explained.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Director's Forum, Rachmad Imbang Tritjahjono said that access to the announcement of the results of the PM OK PN 2019 can be accessed through the pmdk.politeknik.or.id page, starting Tuesday (16/4) at 14.00 WIB. "Participants can view the results of the announcement by entering registration number. There will be information that the person concerned has been accepted, has become a reserve, or has not passed," explained Lmbang.
Then participants who are declared not to have passed the PMDK-PN can re-register to the State Polytechnic through the UMPN route. Registration itself will be opened on May 20 simultaneously in all state polytechnics.