Indonesia pushes stronger university cooperation with Canada

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology has expressed its readiness to scale up academic cooperation with Canada, focusing on talent development, student and faculty mobility, joint research, and deeper university partnerships.

Higher Education Minister Brian Yuliarto explored avenues to achieve these goals during a meeting with Indonesian Ambassador to Canada Muhsin Syihab, according to an official statement released on Thursday.

Yuliarto highlighted that Jakarta has designated Canada as a primary destination for graduates of the Garuda Top School program, a government initiative aimed at helping top Indonesian students secure admission to leading global universities.

“We hope that Canadian universities will support Indonesia by admitting our students, enabling them to pursue their higher education there,” Yuliarto stated.

The minister pointed out that higher education ties between the two nations continue to expand, sustained in part by 108 active agreements between Indonesian and Canadian universities.

These pacts encompass student exchanges, research collaboration, joint academic program development, and co-organized scientific seminars.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Syihab underscored that Canada’s decentralized higher education system—which is administered under provincial jurisdictions—offers broad and flexible opportunities for targeted institutional cooperation.

Syihab assured the minister that the Indonesian Embassy in Ottawa will actively explore concrete measures to foster stronger relations between universities in both countries.

“We will put every effort into establishing tangible, mutually beneficial collaboration,” the envoy remarked.

The meeting, held in Jakarta on Tuesday (June 30), also served as a platform to exchange views on optimizing the Indonesia Maju and Garuda scholarship programs for citizens aspiring to study or currently enrolled in Canada.

Their discussions concluded with a focus on enhancing pre-departure guidance, academic preparation, cultural adaptation, and sustained government support for Indonesian students throughout their studies abroad.

Translator: Sean Filo, Tegar Nurfitra

Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono

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