T

he enthusiasm of foreign students to continue their studies in Indonesia is large. Many of them receive scholarships as a result of cooperation between the government and universities in Indonesia, although there are also foreign students willing to pay tuition to continue studying here.

Unfortunately, most foreign students in the country do not speak Indonesian. This is because the universities where they learn do not strictly apply the rule of admission guidelines that call for some level of fluency to study at a local university.

As a result, professors at the state Islamic university I attend have to deliver their lectures in English or Arabic for the sake of the foreign students.

Ironically, not all foreign students speak English and Arabic properly. For example, in Malang, many foreign students, especially those from the Middle East, Asia and Africa who speak Arabic, struggle to speak English. Similarly, during classes that use Arabic as medium of instruction, foreign students who do not speak Arabic face difficulties in understanding lectures.

Therefore I suggest that the government and universities implement a policy that requires foreign students to master Indonesian. They can learn Indonesian language in special programs before they enroll.

This proposal mirrors that the practice in other foreign universities, where good command of the local language is imperative, such as Japan. Many universities in that country require foreign students to learn Japanese first before studying there.

Indonesia has been very weak in this issue, probably because most lecturers are proficient in English. Given the fact that many foreign students here come from developing countries, including the Middle East, it will be easier for them to learn Indonesian than English. We should be proud of the rich culture of our unifying language.

Aries Musnandar
State Islamic University (UIN) Maulana Malik Ibrahim
Malang, East Java