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Can ASEAN become a world-class destination for study?
As one of the world's fastest growing regions and backed up by a young population, experts say Southeast Asia is poised to become the next center of excellence and innovation. However, for most universities in the region - particularly those outside of Singapore and Malaysia - many still have a hard time attracting students, and a lack of English proficiency continues to be seen as one of the main culprits.
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An illustration of a classroom. (Shutterstock/File)
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s one of the world's fastest-growing regions and backed up by a young population, experts say Southeast Asia is poised to become the next center of excellence and innovation.
However, for most universities in the region - particularly those outside Singapore and Malaysia - many still have a hard time attracting students, and a lack of English proficiency continues to be seen as one of the main culprits.
According to global proficiency rankings for non-native English speaking countries, Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia ranked best in Southeast Asia.
Globally, Singapore ranked third overall with a score of 68.63, while the Philippines (61.84), Malaysia (59.32) and Vietnam (53.12) followed in 14th, 22nd and 41st place out of the 88 listed countries and territories in the EF English Proficiency Index (EPI) 2018.
Meanwhile, Indonesia ranked 51st with 51.58 points, trailed by Thailand (64th/48.54), Myanmar (82nd/44.23) and Cambodia (85th/42.86).
Most ASEAN universities are rarely regarded as a study option for new students due to an issue in "language compatibility", said Denny Abdi, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry's director for Southeast Asian affairs.
"A lot of students choose to go to Western countries for their studies because it is easier for them to understand [and communicate]. Meanwhile, ASEAN countries - with the exception of Singapore and Malaysia - still use their respective national languages [for instruction]," he told The Jakarta Post in a recent interview.
