In his recent visit, US President Barack Obama announced he was making funding available to support higher education links between Indonesia and the US. The primary focus is to encourage partnerships between educational establishments in the two countries.
These partnerships will form a major part of the future of Indonesian education. Currently, only 17 percent of Indonesians pursue higher education. This is the lowest percentage in Southeast Asia and the greatest barrier to growth the nation is facing.
It has been said several times that we do not have the capacity to fulfill the education requirements our country needs in order to move forward and grow on the global stage.
These partnerships will help increase the capacity we have for educating our brightest students and encouraging them to become future leaders in all walks of Indonesian life and move the country forward.
President Obama’s announcement, therefore, improves opportunities for Indonesian students to broaden their horizons and look to overseas educational establishments to gain experience with the high quality education available through partnerships on many levels.
Indeed, partnerships are the cornerstone to expanding education for all in Indonesia. It is impossible for us to improve the level and quality of higher education unless we maximize the opportunities for partnerships that exist.
This requires help from established educational institutions around the globe in order to improve the capacity and quality of education in Indonesia. The US provides one of the longest standing educational environments. There is much Indonesia’s educational establishment can learn from the decades of experience available in creating a successful higher education market for our country and its future generations.
A formal link between educational establishments will help us work towards our goal of creating excellent universities here in Indonesia. Currently, none of our higher education establishments rank within the top 200 in the world. We must improve this as a matter of urgency or run the risk of continuing to have the lowest percentage of students getting an education in Southeast Asia.
Our own economic growth as a nation is dependent on it. We must use this opportunity to fill the gaps we currently have and nurture a new generation of leaders and entrepreneurs that can aid growth and make Indonesia a truly global competitor in future generations.
It is not just leaders and entrepreneurs we need to focus on, though. We need to ensure the growth of our education sector through improved lecturing as well as facilities. We need to show how important our teachers are to the future of Indonesia and create an environment where the teaching profession is encouraged to push boundaries and give subsequent generations the best possible opportunities. This is the only way we can grow as a nation and take our place as an important economy on the global stage.
Partnerships mean more than just agreements and shared learning between higher education establishments. We must also create partnerships with our students. It would be wrong if the opportunities President Obama is offering to us go to only the wealthiest. We must identify the greatest talents and ensure everybody has access to the best possible education regardless of economic background. Indonesia is, after all, a nation of entrepreneurs. It requires improved education to make that national spirit drive the country forward and create growth.
Many organizations offer scholarships to students to study in other countries, but this is not necessarily the only answer. There will always be the need for scholarships and it is only right they are used to reward the brightest and most talented students and encourage them to progress further in their studies.
However, we need to ensure students receive the best education and return to Indonesia and implement this newfound knowledge. Just giving them money through scholarships frequently does not achieve this.
Studies and experience show when money is just given to students the results are regularly disappointing. It doesn’t give a student ownership of their education as it can seem like a gift rather than an achievement.
There are other ways. For example, student loans offer the financial assistance students need while ensuring the repaid money goes to the next generation to offer the same benefits. It gives the student a sense of ownership and a greater drive to succeed.
I am not advocating students fall into huge debt like in some countries in the world, but instead a structured way for students to repay the investment made in them by using their leadership and entrepreneurship to help their communities in Indonesia. Of course, the money will be repaid — that is the nature of a loan — but it will be repaid as part of the increased earning capacity a student now has.
A partnership with our students is important to us all. By giving students the best possible opportunities we give each and every community in Indonesia the best possible opportunities, as students become leaders in business, education, political life and many other areas to drive growth that is so vital to our country.
President Obama’s announcement has given Indonesia an opportunity that should be grabbed with both hands. Partnership with the US educational establishment has many benefits and is a partnership for
us all.
The writer is Putera Sampoerna Foundation’s s chairperson.
