Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) led a limited meeting to discuss a change in the status of several private higher learning institutes into state institutes on Wednesday.

"The limited meeting this evening discussed the policy to change the status of (several) private higher learning institutes into state owned ones," the president said.

The policy has been in place since five years ago but because of many problems, the government imposed a moratorium on the policy in August 2013, he said.

"On June 23, 2015, the government again decided to extend the moratorium," he said.

The president said the policy will help improve access to and even distribution of higher education across the country, particularly in the outlying and less developed areas.

"Towards that end, I ask the Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education to make public the developments, including those related to land and assets as well as the status of lecturers and employees whose number is about 4,300," he said.

The meeting was also attended by Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education M Nasir, Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Yuddy Chrisnandi, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Puan Maharani, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution, Health Minister Nila F Moeloek, National Development Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil and Deputy Finance Minister Mardiasmo.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016