UMPO Welcomes UMG Delegation to Discuss the Establishment of Masters Program in Pedagogy

UMPO.AC.ID   -   Universitas Muhammadiyah Ponorogo (UMPO) welcomed a delegation from Universitas Muhammadiyah Gresik (UMG) for a benchmarking visit and exploratory collaboration to establish a Master's Degree (S2) Program in Pedagogy. The visit took place at UMPO's campus and was attended by four representatives from UMG's postgraduate leadership.

UMPO Rector, Dr. Rido Kurnianto, M.Ag., expressed his appreciation for the visit. He warmly welcomed the UMG delegation and hoped the meeting would mark the beginning of a strategic collaboration between Muhammadiyah universities in strengthening postgraduate education.

"We are very open to sharing experiences, particularly in the development of the Master's Program in Pedagogy. Although UMPO and UMG are in different geographical regions, the public enthusiasm for this program is equally high in both areas due to the strong potential among educators," stated Dr. Rido.

During the discussion, Dr. Ahmad Afri Santoso introduced himself as the newly appointed Director of UMG’s Postgraduate School. He emphasized the growing demand for advanced education in pedagogy, particularly for teachers, and shared UMG’s plan to open a new master's program to meet this need.

"The market demand for professional educators is very high. We aim to respond to this need by launching a high-quality master's program, which we hope to roll out by December," said Dr. Ahmad.

He also pointed out several challenges, including declining student enrollment trends and the need to improve program quality. Accompanied by Prof. Yudi and Dr. Asari, Dr. Ahmad actively engaged in discussions on postgraduate program development strategies and the importance of collaboration with the Ministry of Education and national education policies.

Both parties hope this meeting will lay the foundation for a sustainable partnership — not only in establishing new study programs, but also in enhancing faculty capacity, curriculum development, and the overall quality of postgraduate graduates.

(Ajeng Laksmita/Humas UMPO)