The impact of bureaucracy on higher education: Lessons from Indonesia

Abstract

This paper examines the patterns of bureaucratic failure in the administration of higher education in Indonesia, where bureaucratic interventions have failed to keep and uphold the academic values. This research analyzes the crucial issues and proposes alternative policy solutions for improved higher education administration. The findings reveal that: (1) bureaucratic interventions, though well-intentioned, often have corrosive effects on various aspects of higher education. Over time, these effects undermine the ideal function of academic freedom within higher education institutions; and (2) the implementation of bureaucratic values fosters a dependency structure among academics on the bureaucracy, eroding their independence. As a result, academic freedom is reduced to a hollow slogan stripped its essential meaning, whreas the true academic freedom is fundamental to fostering creativity, innovation, and the pursuit of scientific truth. This study underscores the need for the state, through its bureaucratic mechanisms, to address academic issues with greater wisdom. Bureaucratic norms that conflict with academic values should be revised to prevent the growth of ambivalent and undignified behaviors within the academic environment.