Public information is more than just data made available by a public body. More than that, information serves as a gateway for the public to know, understand, and participate in the delivery of public services. This is the spirit UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta has reaffirmed through its Information and Documentation Management Officer (PPID) in commemorating World Right to Know Day (International Right to Know Day), observed every September 28.

The 2026 World Right to Know Day commemoration carries the theme “Open Information, Empowered Public, Protected Democracy.” This theme underscores the importance of the public's right to obtain information while also encouraging public bodies to build governance that is transparent, participatory, accountable, and inclusive.

For UIN Sunan Kalijaga, openness of information is an important part of the effort to build university governance that is responsive to public needs. Through openness, the public has space to gain a better understanding of how the university's services, policies, and institutional activities are carried out.

Information openness also does not stop at simply making information available. Easy, clear, and inclusive access is essential to ensure that information can truly be put to use by the public. In this context, UIN Sunan Kalijaga's PPID serves as one of the university's instruments for ensuring that the public's right to public information is met through available mechanisms.

UIN Sunan Kalijaga's PPID services include the provision of Periodic Information, On-Demand Information, Immediate Information, information requests, and complaint services. These various channels form part of the effort to deliver public information services that are more accessible to both the academic community and the wider public.

At the same time, information openness is closely tied to strengthening public participation. When the public has access to relevant information, they are not merely recipients of information, but also have the opportunity to understand, offer input, and help oversee how public bodies operate.

This spirit aligns with the message from the Central Information Commission that fulfilling the public's right to information needs to be supported by transparency and accountability, ease of access, optimized PPID services, and public participation in overseeing public information openness.

Within higher education, a culture of openness is also part of building a healthy academic and institutional ecosystem. Information that is openly available and appropriately accessible can strengthen communication between the university and the public while also fostering public trust in the delivery of higher education services.

The 2026 World Right to Know Day therefore serves as a reminder for UIN Sunan Kalijaga to keep strengthening a culture of information openness. These efforts are directed not only at fulfilling the public's right to information, but also at realizing university governance that is transparent, accountable, inclusive, and oriented toward the public interest.

Through PPID, UIN Sunan Kalijaga continues to promote information openness as part of the university's journey toward increasingly good governance. Open information is expected to become knowledge that empowers, strengthens participation, and delivers broader benefit to society. (humassk)