Academia as a tool for building fairness in society – Dhia Al Uyun and Dr. Rafiqa Qurrata A’yun on why Truth Matters at the Indonesian Campus Workers’ Union (SPK)

This year, SAR celebrates 25 years of a global academic freedom movement strong enough to meet the challenges ahead. In this special series, we are inviting partners from across the network and around the world to share what the 25th anniversary Truth Matters theme means to them and their work. Join the movement »

The Indonesian Campus Workers’ Union (Serikat Pekerja Kampus/SPK)  serves as a unified voice for over 2,050 permanent and casual higher education workers—including lecturers, researchers, and administrative staff—across public and private universities throughout Indonesia.  Dhia Al Uyun and Dr. Rafiqa Qurrata A’yun of SPK describe how guaranteeing basic labor rights and welfare helps advance academic freedom, explain the risks faced by academics in Indonesia, and consider the role of academia in protecting truth-seeking. “When academic work is done with this purpose, [of being a voice for the voiceless and help those who are often ignored], it stops being just a list of facts and starts being a way to fairness in society,” says Dr. A’yun.

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