Muhammadiyah University of Bengkulu (UM Bengkulu) officially released its students for the Community Service Program (KKN) on Tuesday (05/08). The release ceremony took place at the Sportatorium on the 4th campus and was attended by the Government of Bengkulu City, the Rector and Leadership of UM Bengkulu, the management of the Bengkulu City waste bank, the KKN participants, and partners from BPJS Employment. This year, the KKN program is focused on the city of Bengkulu, where 67 sub-districts within the city are receiving an equal share of participants.

Ivan Achmad Nurcholis, M.Pd, the head of KKN UM Bengkulu, mentioned that 1,091 students are involved in this year’s KKN program. “This KKN program is a follow-up to the MoU between UM Bengkulu and the Local Government of Bengkulu City, where we focus the students to support and assist the Mayor’s program to make Bengkulu City waste-free,” Ivan explained. The Head of Community Service at UM Bengkulu further detailed that out of the 1,091 KKN participants in 2025, 928 students are part of Regular KKN 1, placed in all sub-districts of Bengkulu City, 15 students are involved in the Muhammadiyah and Aisyiyah KKN in Siak Regency, Riau Province, 118 students in Regular KKN 2, and 30 students in Thematic KKN spread across Rejang Lebong, Keoahiang, and KHDTK in Bengkulu City. The KKN activities, Ivan added, will take place from August 6 to September 14, 2025.

Meanwhile, in his remarks, the Rector reminded students that the KKN program is part of their studies, where they learn to socialize and practice the theories they have learned in the classroom. “KKN is an inseparable part of the learning process, even though you study in the community and outside the campus, you will still be monitored by field advisors (DPL) and the general public,” he explained. Furthermore, the Rector hopes that students will continue to maintain the good name of Muhammadiyah University, the organization, and themselves. “You are the ambassadors of this campus who will show the community what the character of UM Bengkulu students is like, so keep your behavior, speech, and actions during the KKN, and return to campus with a wealth of beautiful experiences,” he urged.

On another note, the Mayor of Bengkulu, represented by Assistant II for Economic and Development Affairs, Drs. Sehmi, M.Pd, expressed his appreciation for the collaboration between UM Bengkulu and the Bengkulu City Government. “One of the programs of the Mayor of Bengkulu is the Clean Bengkulu initiative. We are very grateful to UM Bengkulu for deploying 1,000 KKN students to support and succeed the Mayor’s program,” he stated. The presence of UM Bengkulu’s KKN students should help cultivate the awareness of the Bengkulu City community to maintain a clean environment, as cleanliness is truly part of faith, he added. Semi mentioned that without the participation of the community, the Clean Bengkulu program would not be realized. The assignment of UM Bengkulu’s KKN students is seen as crucial to educate the community on how to preserve cleanliness, starting from the small environment (home) and extending to the surrounding residential areas and throughout the city of Bengkulu. “I am confident that the people of Bengkulu City and UM Bengkulu CAN be part of the success of this Mayor’s program,” he concluded.