The spread of COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease-19) in Indonesia is becoming more and more alarming every day. This situation has impacted human mobility, which must be limited by Social Distancing recommendations which has now changed to Physical Distancing according to the World Health Organization (WHO) or the World Health Organization. This caused the government to close schools, including universities, and replaced them with online learning as a preventive measure in stopping the spread of the COVID-19 virus pandemic.
Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta is no exception, as they have started online lectures since March 16, 2020. Students can access these lectures through the MyKlass platform, the E-Learning program developed by UMY. Online tuition certainly requires internet connections, which might be a burden to those who do not have a good connection or need to buy additional internet quota to be able to follow the program.
Therefore, UMY has started an initiative to provide internet quota subsidies for active students in the 2019/2020 Academic Year. The subsidy was established directly by Rector of UMY Dr. Ir. Gunawan Budiyanto M.P. on Saturday March 28, 2020. “The subsidy provided is Rp.150,000 per student each month. The subsidy is given for three months starting from March to May 2020. The subsidy is realized in the form of cutting the students’ semester payment for the even semester of the academic year of 2020/2021,” he said.
With online lectures that can be done at the students’ residences, and because the online program will take place until the end of the semester, some students chose to return to their respective cities. Of course, this is not easy to prevent if there is no appeal to stay as has happened in Jakarta, where many of its workforce chose to return home. This is very dangerous, and it is not recommended to return because doing so can increase the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
UMY itself made an appeal to students to fill out a survey on the position distribution map, which aims to make it easier for the campus to monitor the whereabouts of students. “Regarding the Letter issued by the Vice-Rector of Academic Affairs No. 503 / A.2-VIII / III / 2020, especially related to lectures held online, we need to know the map of the distribution of students, whatever your study programs, your current condition, and whether you have difficulty accessing the internet network or not, “said the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Dr. Ir. Sukamta, S.T., M.T., IPM, Tuesday (31/3).
UMY also intends to continue to be one of the institutions that supported the government’s efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Hashtag #TakeThe part is one of the campaigns promoted by the campus. In addition, the COVID-19.umy.ac.id website is a form of UMY’s concern for the academic community to come together and survive through this difficult time.
On the website, there are several programs that can be a reference in combating COVID-19. Hotline services are also provided for academic community members who want to know what services or efforts UMY has made in handling COVID-19. (Hbb)
