TIMES MALAYSIA, MALANG – Fikri Ardiansyah becomes the representative of State Polytechnic of Malang (Polinema) in Pilmapres 2024. He is one of the students selected to be a representative in this competition to show off his abilities in front of other participants. 

Pilmapres stands for Pemilihan Mahasiswa Berprestasi which translates to Selection of Outstanding Students in English. It is an annual competition organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture. The event aims to recognize and reward students who excel not only academically but also in co-curricular activities, leadership, community service, and other areas.

Winners at the national level receive recognition and awards from the Ministry of Education and Culture, which can significantly boost their academic and professional profiles.

The Chemical Engineering student explained that the competition is held in multiple stages. "Starting from the university level, then up to LLDIKTI, and the peak is the national final selection," Fikri said on Monday (24/6/2024).

Before the national selection, students must go through regional selection to determine the candidates who will represent the province in the initial selection stage. This year, there are only four vocational students selected to participate in the national selection.

The assessment in this competition covers innovative products that are at least in the form of prototypes. This shows that Pilmapres Vokasi encourages students to produce applicable work. In addition, students are also expected to have good English language skills, which is shown through the assessment of innovative product presentation videos in English.

"In my opinion, the vocational Pilmapres is almost equivalent to that followed by undergraduate students," he said. This shows that vocational students are not only technically competent, but also able to communicate at the international level. 

After going throug a tight selection of outstanding students in each university, participants are entitled to register at the LLDIKTI level by collecting files such as English presentation videos, innovative product scripts, and 10 excellent achievements.

After passing the desk evaluation, students are required to make a self-description poster and an innovative product poster. "This year, in LLDIKTI VII, there is an additional Leaderless Group Discussion (LGD) assessment conducted in English, where participants are given certain issues and must reach conclusions together," he explained.

"The innovative product I designed focuses on the environment, especially water to help implement the SDGs Clean Water and Proper Sanitation, and for the speech I delivered focused on the SDGs Reducing Inequality, especially in the problem of children who do not have birth certificates," he added. 

Fikri Ardiansyah, who hopes to qualify for the top 5 nationally, said that the Pilmapres is not just a competition, but also a platform for self-development that is very meaningful for vocational students. 

He added that through a rigorous selection process, students can compete to develop talents and competencies that are highly needed in the world of work. The competition encourages students to produce innovative products and think critically about new things that can help them thrive in various situations.

"Therefore, Pilmapres is one of the important assets in building a bright future for vocational education in Indonesia," the student of State Polytechnic of Malang concluded. (*)