JAKARTA: Indonesian Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro disclosed an alarming statistic, revealing that approximately 960,000 students from both school and college levels have been involved in online gambling activities.

“The number of students who are involved in online gambling reaches 960 thousand to date,“ the minister stated in a press conference here on Thursday, reported ANTARA news agency.

Brodjonegoro remarked that most of the students were spread across public and private universities in the country.

Under the efforts to address this problem, he affirmed that the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology is preparing a special channel for online gambling reports in universities in Indonesia.

“We are now preparing the report service. Public and private universities must have this service for those who are trapped in online gambling,“ he explained.

In addition, Brodjonegoro gave a special directive to the rectors of public and private universities in Indonesia to partake in the prevention of online gambling.

“The ministry instructs every leader of public and private universities to prevent the participation of lecturers, students, and educators in online gambling,“ he remarked.

He highlighted that the directive is also given to universities under the auspices of the Religious Affairs Ministry.

At the same occasion, Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar announced that he had summoned rectors from various state religious higher education institutions to discuss strategies aimed at curbing online gambling involvement among students in their academic environments.

Those institutions comprise the State Islamic College (STAIN), the State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN), and the State Islamic University (UIN).

“We have invited all rectors within the auspices of the ministry, including IAIN, UIN, STAIN, and the ministry’s regional offices, to attend a working meeting,“ Umar remarked.