On Monday, 18 February 2019, the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), Universitas Syiah Kuala (Unsyiah), welcomed special guests from Risk Management, Economic Sustainability, and Actuarial Science Development in Indonesia (READI), represented by Mr. Mawardi Muhammad and Mr. Fasrul, who are also alumni of Unsyiah. The meeting was conducted in two sessions: a morning session and an afternoon session.
The morning session focused on discussions regarding a planned collaboration between READI, the Indonesian General Insurance Association (AAUI), and the Department of Mathematics Unsyiah through the organization of an actuarial profession promotion activity themed “Goes to Campus.” This activity was scheduled to take place on 11 March 2019 at a hotel in Banda Aceh. The target participants were students of the Department of Mathematics FMIPA Unsyiah who have an interest in the actuarial field.
In the afternoon session, discussions centered on plans for the development of the actuarial field within the Department of Mathematics. READI expressed its readiness to serve as one of the department’s stakeholders in curriculum development, provided that the Department of Mathematics prepares a curriculum draft and obtains approval from the university leadership. Considering that the current undergraduate Mathematics curriculum does not yet fully meet the required standards, it is expected that this curriculum development can be carried out simultaneously with curriculum development in other areas of mathematics.
“It is a great honor for the Department of Mathematics to collaborate with AAUI and READI, as the actuarial profession is currently in high demand in the job market, particularly in the insurance and financial sectors,” said Dr. Rini Oktavia, Secretary of the Department of Mathematics. She also noted that in 2017, the Financial Services Authority (Otoritas Jasa Keuangan/OJK) had previously collaborated with the Department of Mathematics to organize an event themed “Seminar 1000 Actuaries,” which was held at The Pade Hotel.
According to Mawardi Muhammad, Program Officer for Scholarship and Applied Research at READI, the Department of Mathematics was selected as a partner largely due to its three consecutive “A” accreditations from the National Accreditation Board for Higher Education (BAN-PT). This accreditation meets the standards required by the Indonesian Actuaries Association (PAI) to ensure that graduates of Mathematics programs with an actuarial concentration are recognized for their quality. As widely known, an “A” accreditation from BAN-PT represents the highest level of accreditation, reflecting the highest institutional quality among higher education institutions in Indonesia.
It is important to note that READI is a project funded by the Government of Canada (Global Affairs Canada), PT Manulife Indonesia, and Sun Life Financial, and implemented by the University of Waterloo in collaboration with the Financial Services Authority (OJK). The main objective of the READI Project is to position Indonesia as a regional center of excellence in actuarial science and risk management, as well as a trusted hub for the development of the actuarial profession, thereby enhancing transparency and security in public financial management.