The Doctoral Program in Educational Sciences, Graduate School of Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, successfully held the fourth session of its Education Webinar Series on Saturday, 24 May 2025. The webinar carried the theme “Educational Sciences for Social-Cultural Transformation and the Preservation of Human Values in the Digital Era.”

The event was officially opened by Prof. Dr. Siswantoyo, M.Kes., AIFO, Director of UNY Graduate School, and was attended by around 120 participants from diverse academic and professional backgrounds.

Two speakers were featured in the session. The first was Dr. Yaya Sutarya, M.Pd., Head of the Subdirectorate for Capacity Building, Protection, and Control at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek), who presented on “Education for Social-Cultural Transformation in the Digital Era.” The second speaker was Prof. Dr. Arif Rohman, M.Si., Professor of Educational Sciences at UNY, who delivered a presentation on “Educational Sciences for Preserving Human Values in the Digital Era.”

Dr. Yaya emphasized that education plays a key role in shaping an adaptive and competitive digital society. He highlighted the role of technology and the digital economy in driving social transformation and underlined the importance of integrating digital educational services through the Super Apps Rumah Pendidikan. According to him, modern education must not be separated from technological advancements; instead, it should become a driving force for building an inclusive and transformative society.

Meanwhile, Prof. Arif underscored the essential role of educational sciences in preserving and strengthening human values amid the rapid changes of the digital era. He stressed that education is not merely the transfer of knowledge but also a means to conserve moral values, ethics, dignity, justice, and human solidarity. Through reflective, critical, and humanistic pedagogical approaches, education can bridge societal change while safeguarding fundamental human values.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Yaya Sutarya, a proud alumnus of UNY, encouraged participants to consider pursuing their studies at the university. He highlighted UNY’s strong international partnerships with over 120 countries and its flexible Distance Learning (PJJ) system, which provides accessible and effective education from home.

“UNY is globally recognized. You can study from home through an effective system, and we are ready to support international programs and high-quality training,” he said.

Prof. Arif concluded his session with a reflective call to action:

“Let us empower educational sciences through critical studies and best practices to uphold human dignity and advance civilization.”

This webinar reflects the commitment of the Doctoral Program in Educational Sciences at UNY to fostering transformative, critical, and human-centered education amidst the challenges and opportunities of the digital era.

(sef/tys)