Dr. Tirka Widanti

Myself Dr. Ni Putu Tirka Widanti fondly addressed as Ibu Ika at Green School, Bali, founded the Kul-Kul Foundation in 2007. And presently am the President of Yayasan Kul-Kul where my main responsibility is to ensure that the vision and mission of the Green School is preserved and is in-line with the provisions of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, and also to ensure that the school interacts with the local community and adapts with the local wisdom of Bali.

My professional experiences in education, community service, hospitality and public administration are extensive. From producing research papers, lecturing at a number of universities in Indonesia, to chairing the Public Administration Post Graduate Program and just promoted to become a Chancellor/Rector at the Universitas Ngurah Rai from 3 August 2020. Currently I am the expert staff for the legislative (DPRD Bali) that is handling the education, labour and social aspect.

I hold a doctoral degree in Public Administration from Universitas Tujuh Belas Agustus, Surabaya in 2009, and three post-graduate degrees including MBA from Warranborough University in UK (distance learning course), Magister Management from Artha Bodhi Iswara in Surabaya, Indonesia, as well as Master of Linguistic from Universitas Warmadewa in Bali plus the Adjunct Professor at Amity University, India in 2017.

In the form of books, academic articles, local and national newspaper, I have produced many literary works largely related to the empowerment of women, importance of education, Balinese culture and values, and tourism. This motivated me to start Global Balinese Women Association, in Bali. This association focuses on the Balinese women empowerment and enables us to interact with women all over the world.

During my leisure time, I enjoy hiking, practicing Balinese dance and doing research on social issues related to women. Also I have widely travelled around the world to explore different traditions and culture.

Prior to entering the realm of education I used to work with several foreign companies and hospitality industry in Bali. I started my career as a telephone operator at Amandari Resorts in Ubud and then moved to other Hotels and Resorts including The Ritz-Carlton, Bali. Thereafter, I spend 3 years at the Bali International School, which was the first International School in Bali and this shaped my current passion for Global Education.

Since Bali is a tourism destination, somehow, according to my opinion education and tourism are closely related. I think that it’s a big question to ask the relation between education and tourism. In fact, it is not. Both tourism and education focus on one important aspect i.e. service. Excellent service whether it is on tourism or education brings wonderful outcome. Thus, in Green School we started the Edu-Tourism, wherein we encourage students from around the world to participate and experience our learning process. Tourists now come to Bali not only for a pleasure but also to educate themselves.

The experience I got in the hotel industry taught me the importance of service in creating value and I try to provide excellent service to students. I think excellent service will motivate them to study and finish their study on time.