T

he United Kingdom in its endeavor to foster future Indonesian leaders is looking forward to hosting 68 outstanding professionals who will study for master’s degrees in various subjects at British universities.

The reception for the Chevening scholarship awardees prior to their departure was a semi-formal event where they could mingle, socialize and enjoy afternoon tea at the British Embassy on Wednesday.

“It is a global benchmark for success and for leadership. This is a program where we look to recruit the most talented people in the world and we look to invest in them and to equip them to become leaders in their country when they come back,” British Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik said at the event.

He highlighted Indonesia’s enormous potential to become the world’s fifth-largest economy in the next 10 years, with this position meaning advancement in the overall living standards of the Indonesian people.

“The question is, whether Indonesia in 10 years’ time is the fifth-largest economy or the 10th-largest […] the critical difference between the fifth and 10th, rests I believe, ultimately on human resources, on the capability of Indonesia’s young people,” he said.

Therefore, Malik hoped the expected returns of the awardees would make a greater contribution toward maximizing Indonesia’s potential and prospects.

One of the awardees, Petrus Gratiano Widisetyanto, who will study social anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, accentuated this spirit.

“I am going to relate my studies on renewable energy or energy-access distribution in remote areas in Indonesia in the future. I work for Kopernik, an NGO that focuses on providing access to energy to people in East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara, therefore I see this as contributing to my future career and for Indonesia, of course,” he told The Jakarta Post at the event.

The Chevening program saw a 82 percent increase in applications with 4,000 candidates narrowed down to 68 awardees. The program also aims to broaden the scholarship-recipient target toward the eastern part of Indonesia.

“Leaders of Indonesia’s future have to come not just from Java or Sumatra, but to reflect the diversity and the potential of all the people who live across this archipelago.” Malik stated

Priska Lamera, a candidate from Papua, said she would return to Papua and continue teaching English in her town, which was the biggest encouragement for her in taking the scholarship in the UK.

Malik is also accredited to Timor Leste, and as such two of the awardees were from that nation.

Santina da Cruz, who will study at Newcastle University, said the program served as a good investment for stronger relations between Indonesia, Timor Leste and the UK.

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post