Government Opens Opportunities for Foreign Universities in Indonesia
Indonesian Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education Muhammad Nasir said the government of Indonesia decided to open the opportunity for foreign, private universities - especially the world's leading universities - to open branches in Indonesia through cooperation with local private universities. By mid-2018 the first foreign university should be able to open its doors in Indonesia.
"We provide opportunities for foreign universities, especially the world's leading universities to start operating in Indonesia," Nasir said at a press conference in Jakarta on Monday (29/01). Foreign universities will be able to operate in the country under the strict requirement that they partner with existing local universities (private ones, not the state universities). Meanwhile, the curriculum needs to focus on one of the following fields: science, technology, engineering, mathematics, business, technology, or management.
Nasir added that several foreign universities have already shown their interest in opening a branch in Indonesia. Examples are the University of Cambridge, the University of Melbourne, and the University of Queensland.
One advantage of having leading foreign universities in Indonesia would be that Indonesian students no longer need to go abroad to obtain good education and prestigious degrees. For example, each year, thousands of Indonesian students go to the United Kingdom for a bachelor's or master's degree, often paid by themselves (or their parents). If the same university would open its doors in Indonesia, then these Indonesian students would no longer need to go to England.
In fact, it could attract foreign students (for example students from other parts of Asia) to come and study in Indonesia at the foreign university. This would make education a foreign exchange earner and it would impact positively on the local economy.