Medan, 11 November 2024 — Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) has significantly expanded its commitment to institutional inclusivity and employee wellbeing by rolling out dedicated childcare facilities for its staff and lecturers throughout 2023 and 2024. This key initiative strengthens USU’s role as a family-friendly institution actively promoting work-life balance and providing tangible support to parents in managing both their professional and family responsibilities.

The newly established childcare facilities, strategically situated within accessible campus areas, enable employees to access quality, reliable care for their children while fulfilling their academic and administrative duties. By integrating this essential service directly into the university’s workplace environment, USU ensures that its employees particularly working mothers can remain actively and professionally engaged without being forced to compromise their vital family commitments.

“Providing childcare facilities is part of USU’s ongoing, dedicated effort to create a supportive and inclusive workplace,” said Dr. Abdillah Arif Nasution SE., M.Si. Ak, CA., QGIA, CHRS, Head of the Human Resources Bureau. “We recognize that balancing work and family life is fundamentally essential for maintaining both staff wellbeing and overall institutional productivity.”

Promoting Inclusive and Supportive Work Environments

The establishment of these facilities directly reflects the university’s broader policy framework for equality and inclusion, which emphasizes fairness, non-discrimination, and proactive support for family responsibilities. This framework is formally outlined in Academic Regulation No. 13 of 2022 and Rector’s Decree No. 459/UN5.1.R/SK/SPB/2023. These efforts ensure that all employees regardless of gender or parental status are provided with the necessary conditions to thrive professionally at the university.

USU’s introduction of on-campus childcare services contributes not only to measurable improvements in staff morale but also to the cultivation of a more inclusive and gender-responsive institutional culture, where the crucial role of family care is explicitly recognized as a shared and supported responsibility.

Commitment to Sustainable Development Goals

Through the strategic provision of accessible childcare facilities, USU actively advances two key global targets: SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), by promoting inclusive employment policies and family-friendly workplace practices.

The continuous enhancement of campus infrastructure and human resource policies is guided by Rector’s Regulation No. 3 of 2019 on the Green and Sustainable Campus and Rector’s Circular Letter No. 1 of 2023 on sustainability and inclusion.

By investing significantly in childcare and robust family support systems, USU reinforces its established position as a leading national university committed to fostering equality, wellbeing, and sustainable development for all members of its academic community.