Page 28 - Universitas Terbuka Center of Excellence In Asia 2010 and The World 2020 (A Journey Towards a Leading Open and Distance Education Institution 1984-2008)

When the Minister issued the Decree about UT structure, there were many

difficulties in the implementation because the bureaucrat who arranged it did not
have knowledge about UT needs. As a compromise, it was suggested that UT

appointed technical task force units (Unit Pelak-sana Teknis/UPT) as an
adjustment to the formal organizational structure of UT. Finally, UT operated

with organization structure similar to the conventional university added with some
UPTs i.e. UPT Course Material Distribution , UPT Examination Center, UPT Media

Production Center, and UPT Publishing Center.

Background to the Birth of

Universitas Terbuka

Reason for the Birth

of Universitas Terbuka

During the last decade of the 1970s, there were significant numbers of
junior and senior high school teachers who got minimal training through crash

programs to fill in the highly needed teachers, therefore it was considered that
their basic skills for teaching needed improvement. Firstly, they were educated

within the responsibility of Directorate General of Elementary and Secondary
Education (Ditjen Dikdasmen). To accommodate these needs, Junior High School

Teacher Education (PGSMP) and Senior High School Teacher Education
(PGSMA) were set up. Then, after all post senior high school education had

moved to the responsibility of DGHE, Teacher Education was also moved to
DGHE. DGHE appointed some Teacher Training Institutes (/KIP) to offer Diploma

Program I for SMP teachers and Diploma Program Ill for SMA teachers. Then the

6