Politeknik Statistika STIS Participates in Asia-Pacific Stats Cafe with the Theme “How Can We Harmonize Official Statistics in University Curriculum?” Organized by United Nations ESCAP

Politeknik Statistika STIS took part in the Asia-Pacific Stats Cafe themed “How Can We Harmonize Official Statistics in University Curriculum?”, organized by the United Nations ESCAP. The event, held on Monday (31/05), was moderated by Makoto Shimizu, Officer in Charge of the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific, and opened by the Director of the Statistics Division, Gemma Van Halderen. This Stats Cafe was established to bridge the gap between official statistics and university curricula.

This Asia-Pacific Stats Cafe featured three speakers from various countries. The first speaker was Lisa Grace S. Bersales, Ph.D., Professor in the School of Statistics at the University of the Philippines (UP) and Vice President for Planning and Finance of the UP System. She presented “Strong and Agile: Academic Programs in Statistics in the Changing Data Landscape.” In the Philippines, there are 21 universities offering statistics majors with various academic degrees, including Ph.D. in Statistics. Among these universities, the highest concentration is located in Manila. She explained that most graduates with a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics from the School of Statistics work in Banking and Finance (reaching 33%), while graduates from the Institute of Statistics primarily work in Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate (reaching 44%).

The second speaker was Dr. Erni Tri Astuti, M.Math, Director of Politeknik Statistika STIS, who presented “Providing Statisticians and Data Scientists for Government Agencies in Indonesia.” She explained that there are 43 universities across 11 provinces in Indonesia offering higher education in statistics, including Politeknik Statistika STIS. She also outlined the study programs, curriculum, and graduate profiles of Politeknik Statistika STIS. In comparison, graduates from other universities under the Indonesian Forum for Statistics Higher Education (FORSTAT) range from only 5 to 145 people per year, while Politeknik Statistika STIS can graduate around 550 students annually, who go on to work in the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) throughout Indonesia and several other ministries/agencies. As of 2021, there are approximately 6,800 alumni, including 24 graduates from Timor Leste. A survey conducted by Politeknik Statistika STIS revealed that 45% of statistics study programs in Indonesia offer Official Statistics courses, and 60% of them are mandatory. Additionally, graduates from other statistical universities also show strong interest in pursuing careers as statisticians, both at BPS and other ministries/agencies. She also described several challenges faced by fresh graduates entering the workforce, especially in BPS, such as the generational gap, insufficient soft skills (particularly in communication, integrity, leadership, and teamwork), and job misplacement (mismatch between educational background and job duties).

The third speaker was Sharleen Forbes, Director of StatEd Consultancy from New Zealand. She presented “From Face-to-Face Teaching to E-learning of Official Statistics: Collaboration in Action.” She explained that in New Zealand, official statistics institutions collaborate with academics. This aims to enhance the skills of central and local government employees, allowing them to obtain an Official Statistics Certificate as well as honors papers in the field of official statistics. Furthermore, there is an ongoing academic collaboration with Plymouth University, which includes the development of web apps and content creation for the UNITAR E-learning Course program.

During the discussion session, the Director of Politeknik Statistika STIS responded to a question on how to attract high school students to enroll in statistics study programs. One strategy is to make statistics education “fun” and “less mathematical.” She also responded to a question about the implementation of blended learning in statistics education during the pandemic, which posed its own challenges and forced lecturers to innovate in order to deliver the course materials effectively.

This event represents one of Politeknik Statistika STIS’s efforts to go international. With more events like this, it is hoped that the reputation of Politeknik Statistika STIS will shine even brighter and gain worldwide recognition.
Bravo Politeknik Statistika STIS!