Kuliah Kerja Nyata (KKN), or Community Service in English, is one of the activities that are classified as mandatory for students to participate in to contribute knowledge to the community. In addition to being an obligation to serve the community, KKN can be a “medicine” to get rid of fatigue during the passing lectures. Understandably, traveling in someone’s village is certainly something that will not be forgotten in the minds of most students.
As one of the pioneers, Universitas Hasanuddin (Unhas) has conducted 111 batches of KKN since 1973/1974. KKN, which was originally named Proyek Perintis, was held in 1971 by three universities, including Universitas Andalas (Unand), Universitas Mada University (UGM), and Unhas itself. Over time, the KKN program was expanded until all universities, including private ones, implemented it as it is today.
Currently, KKN is held in several types, including KKN Reguler, KKN Kebangsaan, KKN Kemitraan, KKN profesi or tematik, and even KKN Internasional.
identitas published at the end of February 2001 noted that KKN Profesi was another way to participate in KKN. Several faculties at that time implemented KKN Profesi as an alternative, including the Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Public Health and Faculty of Medicine. Even the Faculties of Agriculture and Forestry were known to have explored cooperation in several institutions to accept students for KKN in their institutions.
Although KKN Profesi is considered an alternative, students from six faculties at that time experienced a surge in participation compared to KKN reguler. However, KKN Profesi had operated without a clear work program. This happened in Enrekang Regency. According to news by identitas Unhas in early October 2001, the work program undertaken by KKN profesi students in Enrekang district was not much different from KKN regular students.
The uneven implementation of the KKN Profesi program has caused turmoil, one of which is in the Faculty of Economics (which is known as the Faculty of Economics and Business). FE is recorded as promising students to implement KKN Profesi. The lack of concepts prepared by the faculty team and other technical obstacles made FE not included in the list of KKN Profesi implementers. Students who have already registered must bite their fingers due to this case.
In FMIPA, the management of KKN profesi, known as Kuliah Kerja Terapan Sains (KKTS), is passed to Pusat Pengembangan Kuliah Kerja Nyata (P2KKN) from administration to funding. The delegation of management to P2KKN is due to the difficult coordination between field supervisors from the faculty.
One of the Chemistry students at the time said that the delegation was considered easier, because of direct supervision from P2KKN and the final KKN score would come out faster. However, the final presentation that was usually held in KKTS practically disappeared due to the delegation.
In 2004, KKN Profesi expanded to the Faculty of Law (FH) and was independently managed, but the FH management was still required to report the implementation of KKN Profesi to P2KKN. 71 students participated in the KKN, which was similar to an internship, but they had to spend 750,000 rupiah.
Despite yielding more promising results compared to regular KKN, KKN profesi again makes students upset with its exorbitant cost. identitas in early March 2004 stated that to take part in the Professional KKN, students from FE were charged 500 thousand rupiah, from the Faculty of Letters were charged the same high cost as the KKN profesi at FH, while those from FMIPA were charged 350 thousand. Although the fee is relatively high, FMIPA students are promised a refund of 125 thousand in the second month of KKTS.
After a long time, KKN Profesi in several faculties began to be abolished in 2011. The elimination of KKN Profesi in several faculties is intended to restore the true spirit of KKN, which is to serve the community directly.
The discourse received opposition from students, including at the FH. Answering the unrest at the Faculty of Law, the Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs at that time, Prof. Dr. Ir Abrar Salleng SH MH explained that KKN profesi would be limited to the Justice of Supreme Court in Jakarta.
identitas issue at the end of May 2011 reported that the plan to revitalize KKN emerged when Dr Hasrullah became the number one person in P2KKN. He intended to revitalize the values of KKN, which at that time began to move away from its essence. KKN profesi that prioritizes development in certain fields is prone to deviate from the basic principles of KKN.
“Profesi is only more about developing student skills,” said Hasrullah.
Therefore, in the end to this day, the existence of KKN profesi only survives in Health study programs.
Read the original text in Bahasa Indonesia
Original Writer: Muhammad Nur Ilham
Translated by: Nabila Rifqah Awaluddin and Nur Muthmainah
