There was good news from Jakarta last week. In the Higher Education Consortium Coordination Meeting to Support Tuberculosis Management at the Office of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Thursday (3/9), Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Akhmad Wiyagus encouraged the mobilization of students as the front guard in handling TB, down to the sub-district and village levels. What made this moment feel different from just a ceremony was that the meeting was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Health, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Secretary General of the Ministry of Education and Technology, and Deputy of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture. A sign that the issue of involving students in TB elimination is now being discussed across ministries, not just by one party.
Wiyagus also outlined quite concrete directions, targeting at least 90 percent of TB suspects to receive diagnostic examinations, in line with the big target of eliminating TB as one of the President's priority programs in the next three years. He also encouraged local governments to include TB management programs in planning and budgeting documents, from RPJMD, RKPD, to APBD, so that collaboration between local governments, universities and students can run continuously, not in one go.
We at Stop TB Partnership Indonesia (STPI) welcome this direction. Because, the idea of involving young people in TB prevention is not just a discourse, but something that we have proven can work.
Young People, Partners Proven to Have an Impact
In 2024, through the Caraka TB Institute program, we, STPI, will involve young people in various roles, from education and outreach, social media campaigns, approaches to the media, to policy advocacy. The results exceeded expectations: 415 activities were carried out, reaching 9,577 people directly, contributing to 98 reports in print and online media, and producing 120 digital content that reached up to 1.8 million accounts on social media.
These figures show something important: young people are not only worthy of being recipients of information about TB, but are able to act as communicators, community mobilizers, content creators, researchers, and even advocates for change in their respective environments. The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs' push to mobilize students, therefore, rests on proven foundations, not just optimism on paper.
Maintaining Momentum, by Supporting Students
The challenge in the future is no longer about whether or not students need to be involved, but rather how to design that involvement so that it is sustainable and does not become an additional burden in the midst of their busy academic lives.
This is where the role of universities is key. Our experience and that of several partners in building collaborations with various campuses shows that student involvement is most effective when it is integrated with activities that are already part of higher education, such as research, real work courses, community service, field practice and academic projects. With this approach, contributing to TB control no longer feels like an additional request, but rather a natural part of the student learning process itself.
Lecturers play a liaison role that is no less important, bridging the campus with the local government, as well as assisting students in turning research into real action in the field. When the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs hopes that student presence can penetrate down to the village level, it is at this point that lecturer assistance and a supportive campus system will determine whether this hope is truly realized.
Translating Directions into Concrete Steps
This momentum will be stronger if the Ministry of Home Affairs, together with the Ministry of Education and Technology and the Ministry of Health, follows up with a clear framework for regional governments and universities, including forms of collaboration that can be carried out, the most relevant student groups involved, priority TB issues in each region, coordination mechanisms with campuses, as well as forms of support for students and lecturers who contribute.
The framework should also provide flexibility for local governments, because TB challenges in one region can be very different from those in another region. No less important, young people's contributions need to receive proper recognition, either through certificates, capacity development, publication of their work, or space for them to provide direct input to policy makers. Because meaningful engagement always goes both ways, students contribute, and the system provides space for their voices to be heard.
Guarding Together, Moving Together
The target of eliminating TB in the next three years is an ambitious target, and cannot be achieved by the government alone. The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs' encouragement to embrace students, supported by the presence of cross-ministries in the same forum, is a positive signal that cross-sector collaboration is truly being built.
Our collective task now is to ensure that this spirit continues, from the meeting room to concrete policies, from instructions to a system that provides real space for young people to contribute. The social capital and energy of young Indonesians have been proven to be able to go far, when given the opportunity.
We are all affected, we can all have an impact.
Reference source: Coordination Meeting of the Higher Education Consortium in Supporting Tuberculosis Handling, Office of the Ministry of Education and Technology, Jakarta, 3 September 2026, as reported by Tribun Depok, Nusantara TV, Berita Jatim, Liputan6, Detik, Kabar Jateng, and Disway.id.
Photo reference: detik.com
