Islamic State University (UIN) Mataram officially begins its strategic steps to penetrate the global academic stage. In order to improve the quality of education and international competitiveness, UIN Mataram is fully committed to adopting European standards thru the accreditation process from The Accreditation, Certification and Quality Assurance Institute (ACQUIN), a renowned international quality assurance agency based in Germany.
The signal of seriousness was marked by the first-ever Online Workshop Preparation for The Self-Assessment Reports (SAR) held at the Auditorium Building of UIN Mataram on Tuesday (02/06/2026). This agenda directly brought together the UIN Mataram International Accreditation Team with the ACQUIN Expert Team online.
The Rector of UIN Mataram, Prof. Dr. Masnun Tahir, M.Ag., who directly opened the workshop, expressed high appreciation to all the staff who quickly prepared for this significant leap. He also warmly welcomed the representatives of the ACQUIN expert team from Germany. “Thank you to all the teams for their maximum effort in preparing this event.” We also want to express our gratitude to the ACQUIN Germany team represented by Robert Raback,” said Prof. Masnun in front of the meeting participants.
Considering the crucial nature of the document to be prepared, UIN Mataram deployed its full strength. This workshop was attended by the Vise Rector I, Vise Rector II, the Quality Assurance Institution (LPM) Team, the LP2M Team, the Internal Supervisory Unit (SPI), all Deans and Vise Deans, all Heads of Departments (Kabag), as well as all Heads and Secretaries of Study Programs (Kaprodi/Sekprodi).
The main focus of this intensive workshop is to architect the Self-Assessment Report (SAR) document. This self-assessment document is not merely an administrative matter, but a comprehensive blueprint that records the real quality of study programs, internal governance, and the alignment of the campus with the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG), which serve as the reference book for ACQUIN.
After the opening ceremony, the session continued with a material dissection by Robert Raback from the ACQUIN expert team. Robert emphasized that quality assurance in Europe has successfully become an economic driving force because it is built on three main pillars that interlock and harmonize:
- First Pillar: Internal Quality Assurance. The campus holds full control over the “quality culture” independently. This includes an adaptive curriculum, student-centered learning methods, excellent facilities, and data transparency.
- Second Pillar: External Quality Assurance. Objective validation from external parties to test the effectiveness of the internal system thru self-evaluation, cross-sector field visits involving students, and the publication of periodic reports for public accountability.
Third Pillar: Independence of the Assessment Institution. Accreditation bodies (such as ACQUIN) must have strong legitimacy and absolute independence, free from government political intervention or pressure from the institutions being evaluated.
“The system in Europe is about synergy: the internal commitment of higher education institutions validated by credible external assessments, and overseen by independent and professional quality assurance agencies,” explained Robert in his presentation.
The initial step taken by UIN Mataram thru the preparation of this SAR is expected to transform the local campus academic ecosystem toward an internationally accountable macro quality that continues to move forward.