T

he number of Indonesian students studying in Europe is continuously increasing with the European Union expecting to attract more students furthering their eduction in the continent.

“Currently more than 9,600 Indonesian students are studying in Europe in various majors including renewable energy, transportation, medicine and health, information, communications and technology,” EU Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, Vincent Guerend said on Saturday.

“In 2011 our figure shows that 6,100 [Indonesians were studying in Europe], now we have 9,600.”

Guerend was speaking on the sidelines of the EU higher education fair in Jakarta. “This is very encouraging but we believe that the potential is much bigger.”

Europe is one of the favorite destinations for Indonesian students to pursue studies abroad.

Guerend said the EU provided 1,600 scholarships annually for Indonesians to study in Europe through the EU’s Erasmus Plus and EU member states scholarships programs.

He said the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and France were the most favorite destination countries for Indonesian students.

“[…] We encourage also students from Indonesia to go beyond the traditional destinations and to discover also universities and higher education institutions in other countries which may be less known but which also propose a good curriculum,” he said.

According to EU data, the total number of Indonesian students currently studying in Germany are 3,210 students, the UK 2,950, France 1,200 and the Netherlands 1,113.

“The EU and its member states believe that education is the best possible investment against exclusion, inequality and poverty,” Guerend said.

He said that studying abroad was much more than just gaining academic qualification.

“And so all together, study in Europe we believe is very rewarding experience, because you have the certainly high quality offered by the university but also the very nice way of life in Europe,” he said.

During the event, Indonesians obtained information on scholarship opportunities to pursue higher education in Europe. Visitors could also directly meet and consult with representatives of the universities and scholarships providers.

One of the visitors, Putri Sugih Permatasari, 25, a civil servant, said that the exhibition helped her to get more information on how to study in Europe.

“Although I could find the information about the universities through its website, but here I got more knowledge about the lifestyle, the way of life and the culture,” she said.

She said that she was interested to continue her study in the Netherlands or the UK taking energy or environment subject.

The Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP), the British Council, the German DAAD, the Dutch Nuffic Neso, and universities from countries such as Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Switzerland, Italy, the UK and Austria took part in the exhibition.

Europe has more than 4,000 higher education institutions offering 15,000 Master’s degree programs delivered in English. Half of the institutions are among the 100 best universities in the world. (sha)