UNAIR NEWS – The development of education in Indonesia closely followed the tides and political upheavals that shaped the governance of the nation. In 1949, the Round Table Conference (RTC) took place, marking the official end of Dutch occupation in Indonesia. On December 27, 1949, the Netherlands officially transferred governance back to the Republic of the United States of Indonesia (RIS).
The transfer of authority from the Netherlands to the Indonesian government prompted significant changes in the structure and landscape of higher education. Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), which was established as a university of the Republic of Indonesia, further solidified its position as a national university.
Meanwhile, the Universiteit van Indonesia was nationalized and became Universiteit Indonesia. Due to the increasingly vigorous nationalization efforts led by President Soekarno, along with the removal of Dutch terminology, the institution was ultimately renamed Universitas Indonesia (UI).
Circumstance in Surabaya
Citing the book Mendidik Bangsa, Membangun Peradaban: Sejarah Universitas Airlangga, up until 1950, Surabaya did not yet have a university. The city only had higher education institutions with faculty status, the Faculty of Medicine and the Dental Institute. Both faculties were branches of Universitas Indonesia in Jakarta, which had previously been nationalized from the Dutch administration.
Due to the scarcity of educated citizens, in 1951, two prominent figures from Surabaya, Mr. Boedisoesetya and Mr. I Gondowardojo, initiated the opening of a law school for civil servants with secondary school diplomas who wished to continue their education. Subsequently, Yayasan Perguruan Tinggi Surabaya was established and spearheaded by Mayor Moestadjab, Doel Arnowo, Roeslan Wongsokusumo, and Mr. Sjarief Hidayat. From this point, the institution became known as Perguruan Tinggi Ilmu Hukum Surabaya.
The law school officially began operations, but by its second year, issues arose concerning the legality of diplomas and exam administration, as private schools at the time were not recognized by the government. The faculty board, with the approval of the higher education foundation, concluded that this issue could be resolved by merging with a public university. Following the advice of Mr. Pringgodigdo, discussions began with UGM in Yogyakarta, which was represented by Prof. Notonegoro.
The merger of two universities
As a result of these discussions, by the end of 1953, Perguruan Tinggi Ilmu Hukum Surabaya merged with UGM. The university then became a branch of the Faculty of Law, Social Sciences, and Politics of UGM under the leadership of Pringgodigdo. The issue of diploma legitimacy was resolved. From that point, Surabaya hosted two branch faculties from different universities: the Faculty of Medicine from UI and the Faculty of Law, Social Sciences, and Politics from UGM.
However, the existence of these two branch universities in Surabaya still did not meet the educational needs of Indonesia’s population in the 1950s. As the country gradually recovered, the Indonesian government took the initiative to establish new universities in several cities, including Surabaya.
Surabaya became a focal point because, according to the Minister of Education at the time, Muhammad Yamin, the city already had sufficient supporting facilities, such as laboratories, and had previously served as a center for sugar research. Additionally, the city had supporting infrastructure, including the colonial-era NIAS building.
Official establishment of UNAIR
With this background, the government established a university named Universitas Airlangga. The campus was inaugurated on Wednesday, November 10, 1954, coinciding with National Heroes Day. The inauguration began with a speech by the Minister of Education, Teaching, and Culture, Mohammad Yamin.
The establishment of UNAIR was formalized under Government Regulation No. 57 of 1954, which was enacted on November 10, 1954. This regulation was enacted in Jakarta on November 1, 1954, by Soekarno. According to the regulation, UNAIR consisted of the Faculty of Medicine and the Dental Institute in Surabaya, the Faculty of Law, Social Sciences, and Politics in Surabaya, the Teacher Education College of Malang, and the Faculty of Economics in Surabaya.
From that point, UNAIR became the first university to be established after the dissolution of the Republic of the United States of Indonesia (RIS) and the birth of the Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia (NKRI). Technically, the establishment of this university involved merging two institutions: UGM, as a university owned by the republic, and UI, under Dutch control. Thus, as stated in the book Mendidik Bangsa, Membangun Peradaban: Sejarah Universitas Airlangga, this university is also referred to as the “unifying university.”
Author: Yulia Rohmawati
