IO, Bogor – IPB University students are working away in a Thematic Community Service Program (Kuliah Kerja Nyata Tematik – “KKN-T”) in Bengkayang Regency, West Kalimantan Province. Their field Supervisors, Dr. Siti Sa’adiah and Dr. drh. Andriyanto, entrusted them to Obaja (Acting Regent of Bengkayang), Erlianus (Head of the Department of Food, Agriculture, and Plantation), and Magdalena (Head of the Department of Fisheries, Maritime Affairs, and Animal Husbandry), Thursday (7/9/2020).
“From this activity, we hope to get useful input from the region and discover existing constraints and help the community solve problems in the field. Going forward, we hope that IPB University students who take part in this KKN-T in Bengkayang can serve again to develop their regions after completing their studies,” said Siti, as quoted by IPB University Public Relations, Friday (7/17/2020).
Obaja said that he welcomed the IPB University students who were going to KKN-T in Sinar Tebudak Village, Tujuh Belas District, and Lembang Village, Sanggau Ledo District. “It is hoped that through the KKN-T, IPB University students will be able to make useful contributions to the agriculture and livestock sector in Bengkayang Regency. Further, the local government hopes to collaborate with IPB University to explore and maximize the potential in Bengkayang Regency,” he said.
The Thematic Community Service Program (KKN-T) in Sanggau Ledo District consists of COVID-19 education, demonstrations on the making and distribution of herbal medicine, administering medications for worm infestation, an inspection of sacrificial animals, checking the health status of livestock, and making fertilizer from livestock manure. Those in the Tujuh Belas District consist of agricultural education 4.0, making an account application for online sale of agricultural products, providing medications for worm infestations and vitamins to livestock, education on animal diseases and appropriate medications, with good enclosure sanitation, as well as an examination of sacrificial animals in the framework of Eid al-Adha and Protein Day activities.
The 14 students who participated directly in the program also provided counselling on Clean and Healthy Behaviour in responding to the new adaptation period amid the current COVID-19 pandemic. They focus on the program themed “Countermeasures during and after the COVID-19 pandemic”.
This Thematic Community Service activity is a concrete manifestation of the implementation of the Three Purposes of Higher Education, namely education, research, and community service, carried out routinely and continuously by IPB University. The theme of IPB University’s KKN-T 2020 is “Optimizing the Utilization of Regional Resources and Community Empowerment through Techno Socio Entrepreneurship to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals in the COVID-19 Pandemic Period.”
The KKN-T activity in Bengkayang is one aspect of the KKN-T of IPB University, held in almost all Indonesian provinces, from July to August 2020. (*/est)