Bringing the Internet within reach of 100 million Indonesians from 20 kms above Earth

Google Blog, Thursday, October 29, 2015  

In Indonesia today, only about 1 out of every 3 people are connected to the Internet. And even though most of their connections are painfully slow, they’re doing some pretty incredible things. Startups like motorcycle delivery service Go-Jek are building impressive adaptations to Indonesia’s unique challenges, while small businesses like fashionable hijab shop HiJup are using the web to redefine marketplaces.

Still, a majority of Indonesians don’t have access to the educational, cultural, and economic opportunities of the Internet. That’s why we’re pleased to announce that Indonesia’s top three mobile network operators—Indosat, Telkomsel, and XL Axiata—have agreed to begin testing Project Loon balloon-powered Internet over Indonesia in 2016. These tests represent an important step toward bringing all of Indonesia online.

From left to right: Ririek Adriansyah, CEO of Telkomsel; Dian Siswarini, CEO of
XL Axiata; Alexander Rusli, CEO of Indosat; Mike Cassidy, VP of Project Loon;
Sergey Brin, President, Alphabet Inc

Loon balloons act like floating mobile phone towers; flying on the stratospheric winds at altitudes twice as high as commercial planes, each balloon beams an Internet connection down to the ground, and as one drifts out of range, another moves in to take its place. Loon can help telecommunications companies extend their networks; high in the sky, we can help overcome the difficulties of spreading equipment across an archipelago of 17,000 islands of jungles and mountains, providing connectivity to even the most remote islands.

Project Loon balloons travel approximately 20 km above the Earth’s surface in

 the stratosphere. Winds in the stratosphere are stratified, and each layer of wind 

varies in speed and direction. By moving with the wind, the balloons can be 

arranged to form one large communications network

  

Over the next few years, we’re hoping Loon can partner with local providers to put high-speed LTE Internet connections within reach of more than 100 million currently unconnected people—that’s enough speed to read websites, watch videos, or make purchases. From Sabang all the way to Merauke, many of these people live in areas without any existing Internet infrastructure, so we hope balloon-powered Internet could someday help give them access to the information and opportunity of the web.

But it’s not the only step Google is taking toward making the Internet both accessible and useful for people in Indonesia. Android One phones are helping to make high-quality smartphones more accessible in a country where most people first access the Internet on a mobile device. And along with that, we’re working to ease the use of data with features sure as Search Lite, which streamlines search so pages load more quickly, or by optimizing web pages so that they require less data to load. Indonesia is also one of the first countries where YouTube users can take videos offline to watch later during periods of low or no Internet connectivity.

We’re also doing what we can to ensure that language isn’t a barrier to the opportunities of the web. Google Translate was introduced for Bahasa in 2008, and more recently we’ve expanded it to Sundanese, a language that’s spoken by nearly 40 million people living on the island of Java.

Soon we hope many more millions of people in Indonesia will be able to use the full Internet to bring their culture and businesses online and explore the world even without leaving home. And for those of you who’ve never been to this country of rich culture and natural beauty, we invite you to head over to Google Street View to explore the famous temples at Borobudur and Prambanan.

Posted by Mike Cassidy, Vice President, Project Loon

Korean agency offers $700,000 for green school project

The Jakarta Post, Elly Burhaini Faizal,  Jakarta, Fri, 05/18/2012

Marking its first ever joint cooperation with the Education and Culture Ministry and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is launching a Green School Action Project to help accelerate the development of environmental education in schools in Indonesia.

KOICA Indonesia Office representative, Sungho Choi, said Friday that the Green School Action Project was a collaborative and supportive scheme for the Indonesian government delivered by the KOICA and UNESCO Jakarta office on behalf of the Korean government.

This program is aimed at helping to build the capacity of Indonesian teachers to raise awareness on sustainable development in schools.

“Combating climate change is now the global concern in which joint efforts are essential. No country or region is free from this global issue. It’s highly appropriate for us to invest in education for sustainable development as climate change is not only about changing the environment but it can also lead to poverty,” said Sungho Choi on the sidelines of a three-day regional workshop for “Green Action in East Asia: Centered on Teacher Capacity Building for Climate Change Education”, which began on Friday.

For the project, he said, the KOICA had contributed US$700,000 for building capacity among teachers from 20 pilot schools in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, through education on climate change and sustainable development.

About 160 participants from seven countries, comprising Brunei Darussalam, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, are attending the workshop. Teachers from the 20 pilot schools for the Green School Action Project in Banjarmasin are also taking part in the event.

“Supporting environmental management and sustainable development is one of the core sectors in bilateral cooperation conducted by the KOICA. I sincerely hope that we can continue to closely work on sustainable cooperation and environmental education to address the impacts of climate change,” said Sungho Choi.

Under the Adiwiyata program, which was launched in 2006, the Environment Ministry, in cooperation with the Education and Culture Ministry, has created green school communities that are able to manage and protect the environment partly to support sustainable development programs that the government is currently working on.

“We know that the Indonesian government already has a good program on green schools called Adiwiyata. We hope that the Green School Action Project can add increased values to that work,” said UNESCO Jakarta’s head of education division, Anwar al-Said.

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Diponegoro University to build Geothermal Study Center

Antara News, Mon, May 14 2012

 "One day, the use of fossil energy will end."

Semarang, Central Java (ANTARA News) - Diponegoro University of Semarang, central Java, is building a Geothermal Research Center to be run by the Faculty of Science and Mathematics to examine potential geothermal resources in Indonesia.

"The Geophysics and Geothermal Research Centre building begins today and is targeted to be completed in November 2012," said Dean of the university`s Faculty of Science and Mathematics M. Nur here on Monday.

Nur added that fossil energy cannot remain plentiful forever and will someday be depleted due to excessive consumption. So, renewable energy such as geothermal would be a needed breakthrough.

"We see the geothermal energy potential in Central Java is located in the Mount Dieng area, Wonosobo and Ungaran, and Semarang regency. The Geothermal Research Center is expected to assist in the use of alternative energy," he said.

Nur noted that the Geophysics and Geothermal Research Centre building will be built in an area of 2.105 square meters and supported by the state`s Oil and Gas Company, PT Pertamina.

"One day, the use of fossil energy will end. Oil-fueled cars will be finished. Therefore, we need a long-term breakthrough for new renewable energy use," he said.

According to the university`s Rector, Sudharto, Indonesia's use of fossil energy is still as high as 95 percent, using petroleum, natural gas, and coal, and the remaining five percent is made up of new renewable energy alternatives.

Though national renewable energy consumption is only five percent, it is targeted to be increased to 17 percent by 2025.

Pertamina General Manager Retail Fuel Marketing Region IV Rifky Hardijanto Effendi added that, with the funding for construction of this facility, this is the third time Pertamina has contributed to construction at the university.

"We distributed Rp7.2 billion to build the Geophysics and Geothermal facility, and earlier we also helped construct the building at the university's Faculty of Economics and Faculty of Engineering," he said.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

Austria opens its new ‘green’ embassy

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Tue, 11/29/2011

For a bright future: Austrian Ambassador to Indonesia Klaus Wolfer
(second left) gestures as he gives his opening statement accompanied
 by Austrian State Secretary for European and International Affairs. Wolfgang
 Waldner (right) while Indonesian Foreign Ministry’s American and Europe
 Affairs director general Retno L.P. Marsudi (second right) looks on at the
 reception of Austrian Day at the Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Hotel in Jakarta
on Monday. JP/ Jerry Adiguna

Hundreds of guests strolled into the spacious ballroom at Hotel Indonesia-Kempinski in Central Jakarta to celebrate Austria’s national day and the official opening of the new “green” embassy building.

Austrian Ambassador to Indonesia Klaus Wolfer and his wife greeted guests, including Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry director general for American and European affairs Retno L.P. Marsudi and other diplomats from foreign representative offices in Jakarta.

Visiting Austrian State Secretary for European and International affairs Wolfgang Waldner also attended the ceremony.

Wolfer said that Austria had officially opened its new “green” embassy in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Monday morning.

“Jakarta should be the place that will go beyond the normal routine to establish low-energy housing in tropical climates,” Wolfer told The Jakarta Post during the ceremony.He said that the embassy was installed with instruments to prevent heat. “We applied solar panels in the building to save energy.”

Wolfer added that the new two-story building could reduce the wasted energy from 100 percent to only 17 percent.He said that Jakarta was the pilot project for the green type embassy building which would possibly

apply in other countries.

Waldner also said that Austria and Indonesia’s foreign ministers had signed an agreement about student exchanges on Monday morning.

“We are planning to send 10 post-graduate Indonesian students to Austria next year,” he told the Post, adding that there will be two-way exchanges in the future.

He said that at present the student exchange program would only be for postgraduate students of mathematics and natural sciences.

“We will send Indonesian students to some universities in Vienna and in the future we will send Austrian students to the Bandung Institute of Technology and Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta,” Wolfer added.(drs)

W. Java to open batik academy

The JakartaPost, Jakarta,Tue, 11/29/2011

The West Java Batik Foundation (YBJB) will establish a Batik Academy to develop and train young professional Batik makers.

“The West Java Batik Academy will train batik professionals to master batik skills and be ready to work in the batik industry,” the foundation’s executive director Komaruddin Hudiya said on Tuesday as quoted by Antara news agency.

The academy is scheduled to be established in 2012 with a capacity of more than 100 graduates per class. Every class will learn batik for three months and develop their own businesses.

“The batik market is still promising right now, even though the booming started in 2009. We are trying to maintain the market’s gusto for batik products by developing batik motifs from various regencies,” Komaruddin said.

He added that there had been 200 batik motifs in West Java that had been published in a batik motifs pocket book.

No cuts in scholarship allocations for Indonesians: Netherlands

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 11/01/2011

The Netherlands has no plans to cut the portion of scholarships it has been allocating for Indonesians despite the debt crisis currently plaguing the Eurozone, a Dutch official said here on Tuesday.

“Don't worry about budgets. We're still offering wide opportunities for Indonesians who want to study in the Netherlands,” Nuffic NESO Indonesia director Mervin Bekker told a press gathering in Jakarta.

Nuffic Neso Indonesia is the official representative of Nuffic -the Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education- in Indonesia; for all matters concerning Dutch higher education.

Bekker said the Dutch government was even planning to further expand its partnership with Indonesian education institutions.

He said the Netherlands considered Indonesia important in its international education cooperation policy, citing127 partnerships that had been established between Dutch and Indonesian higher education institutions, 22 percent of which covered student exchanges and 19 percent were in the form of research partnerships, Antara news agency reported.

Australia to Help 300,000 Children Go to School

Jakarta Post, September 30, 2011

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The Australian Government has signed an agreement to disburse 210 million Australian dollars to the Indonesian Government to build schools.

Through this education partnership, up to 2,000 junior secondary schools will be built in poor and remote areas where they are most needed, according to a release sent by AusAid to the Jakarta Globe.

The program builds on the highly successful Australia - Indonesia Basic Education Program which built more than 2,000 schools between 2006 -2010.

“Education is a fundamental human right and critical for individuals to lift themselves out of poverty. This new education partnership will enable a further 300,000 Indonesian children to attend school,” said Australia ’s Ambassador to Indonesia , Greg Moriarty.

The two governments are working together to achieve Indonesia’s goal of providing nine years of basic education for all Indonesian girls and boys, regardless of their gender, where they live or how much their family earns.

“Better educated children result in a more productive workforce. Better educated girls lead to lower child and maternal mortality, improved child nutrition and stronger political participation,”  Moriarty said. 

 This assistance is part of the $500 million five-year Education Partnership announced by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta in late 2010.

The schools will be constructed by local communities, using local labour, equipment and materials and each will include facilities for the disabled and separate toilets for boys and girls.

The Education Partnership will also improve school management through training provided to 293,000 school principals, school supervisors and district education officials.

Freeport familiarizing Jayapura schoolers with environmental awareness

Antara News, Thu, September 8 2011

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Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA News) - PT Freeport Indonesia in cooperation with the Jayapura City administration is conducting a program to familiarize local primary and secondary school students with environment-related subjects under the theme "Towards Environmentally Aware Schools."

The head of the PT Freeport Indonesia representative office, Anthon Raharusun, said here Wednesday the program was a manifestation of the company`s constant attention to the environment and part of its efforts to work in partnership with local stakeholders.

"We have been doing a lot of cooperation with various parties as well as local administrations and private sectors, not only in Papua but also throughout Indonesia, especially in terms of environmental problems. Because PT Freeport Indonesia is concerned about the environment," he said.

He also hoped the cooperation with the Jayapura city administration can be done continuously in the future, not just familiarization for schools but also for regional task force units.

"All parties who wish to conserve the environment can cooperate with Freeport," he said.

The supervisor for environmental awareness and education of PT Freeport, Jimmy Rumainum, said the environmental awareness familiarization program for primary and junior high school students was also aimed at creating an environment-based school (locally named Adiwiyata).

"The activity itself in Jayapura city is still in its early stage but in Mimika district and several other areas in Papua it was in an advanced stage. In fact, in Mimika there is already an Adiwiyata school," he said.

Meanwhile, the vice mayor of Jayapura city, Nur Alam, on behalf of the city administration welcomed the concept of cooperation and initiatives offered by PT Freeport Indonesia.

Moreover, the administration has outlined the Five-Year Development Program (2011-2016) of Jayapura City, among others, the Clean and Beautiful City, and Lighting the City in the night.

"Many things can be supported by PT Freeport as a world class company. We hope the activities that give positive values ​​such as this can become a sustainable program," he said.

The Freeport program is highly synergistic with Jayapura city administration`s work program, so it can join hands to save the environment in Jayapura city area," he added.

Editor: Jafar M Sidik

Australia-Indonesia Institute inviting applicants for Youth Exchange Program

Antara News, Tue, August 9 2011

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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Australia-Indonesia Institute (AII) invites applications from young Australians aged between 21 and 25 years willing to represent Australia for two months in Indonesia during December 2011 to February 2012 as members of the Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP).

The program aims to provide wider opportunities for young people from Indonesia and Australia to appreciate the culture, development and way of life of each other`s country, the Australian embassy said in a pres statement here on Tuesday.

It is also expected to build groups of young and potentially influential people in both Australia and Indonesia who have knowledge and personal experience of the two countries and who develop close and enduring links with each other.

Participants will be chosen from applicants undertaking tertiary studies or employed in any one or more of the areas such as agriculture, arts, music, Asian Studies, economics, business, International Relations, education, engineering, science, environmental management, journalism, sports, tourism and hospitality.

A good level of Indonesian language is desirable though not essential as the program makes allowances for some participants to learn the language during the period of the exchange.

The Indonesian AIYEP participants are due to arrive in Australia in October 2011, and the closing date for applications is on 30 August 2011.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

2m poor elementary students to get scholarships

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Wed, 07/27/2011

The National Education Ministry says it has allocated Rp 762.2 billion (US$89.9 million) this year for BSM-SD scholarships for about 2.04 million poor elementary school students nationwide.

Students from first to fifth grade will be entitled to the scholarships, which are worth Rp 360,000 per student and will be disbursed between July and December.

Ministry director for elementary schools Ibrahim Bafadal said Tuesday in Jakarta the scholarships were meant to help poor parents purchase stationery, uniforms and other school-related items for their children.

School operating costs, meanwhile, are covered by the School Operational Aid (BOS) funding program, Ibrahim said.

The numbers of students to be granted scholarships in each municipality/regency has been set based on several indicators such as poverty levels and geographical conditions, he added.

“Each municipality and regency will then select schools that will receive BSM-SD scholarships. Then a team will be sent to ask for a list of the students that have been nominated to receive the scholarships at each school,” Ibrahim said as quoted by kompas.com.

Over 500 Indonesian students head to the Netherlands

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 07/25/2011

Over 500 Indonesian students will leave for the Netherlands in pursuit of higher education, according to the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta on Monday.

“Through education, I am optimistic that the bilateral relationship between the two countries will be improved,” Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia Tjeerd F. de Zwaan said in a press statement as quoted by Antara news agency.

The statement says that the students include recipients of Dutch government-sponsored scholarships, namely StuNed, the Netherlands Fellowship Program and the Huygens Scholarship Program.

There are also recipients of Erasmus Mundus and Ford Foundation scholarships as well as those sponsored by the Indonesian Communications and Information Ministry, National Education Ministry and National Development Planning Ministry.

Data from Nuffic Neso Indonesia shows that 65 percent of the students will be pursuing Master's degrees while 28 percent are in undergraduate programs, Antara reported.

On Saturday, Zwaan, Nuffic Neso Indonesia director Marrik Bellen and the Indonesian Foreign Ministry director for Western Europe, Dewa Made Juniarta Sastrawan, officially bid the students farewell in an event in Jakarta, the statement said.

UNDP To Finance Wakatobi International Fishery School

Antara News, Fri, July 8 2011

UNDP provides the funds of Rp100 billion for the construction of the Wakatobi International Fishery School, the first of its kind Asia....

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Kendari, SE Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) will fully finance the construction of the International Fishery School (SPI) in Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi, a local official said.

Illustration of a Fisherman
(ANTARA PHOTO/Zabur Karuru)

Wakatobi Mmarine and Fishery Office Chief Hajiu said on Friday that Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad would lay the first corner stone next Saturday, July 16, 2011.

"UNDP provides the funds of Rp100 billion for the construction of the Wakatobi International Fishery School, the first of its kind Asia," Hajiu said.

According to him, Wakatobi district government would only provide 100-hectare plot of land for the construction of the school in two stages, financed by UNDP.

For the first stage he said the local government has prepared a 50-hectare plot of land for school which was to be inaugurated by the maritime affairs and fisheries minister.

"On the 50-hectare plot of land for the first stage, the International Fishery School will be built in addition to other facilities such as students dormitory, and Muslim and Christian houses of worship," Hajiu said.

He said both Muslim and Christian houses of worship were needed because the students and lecturers would be from various countries, especially the six countries at the world`s coral reef triangle area.

According to Hajiu, the the prospective students who wanted to study at the school would undergo tight entry test, especially related to their academic competence on coral reefs conservation.

"In principle, the students who are accepted to study at such as school will be taught and trained in such away to master the knowledge about coral reefs conservation," Hajiu said.

He said the first-corner-stone laying ceremony

would also be attended by Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung Laksono, Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik, Southeast Sulawesi Governor Nur Alam, and a number of other invitees.

Editor: Ade Marboen

Related Article:

• Indonesia - Korea to Build Marine and Fisheries Institute in Karawang

Indonesia - Korea to Build Marine and Fisheries Institute in Karawang

Antara News, Wed, July 6 2011

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Jakarta, July 6, 2011 (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) and Korea Marine Institute (KMI) agree to build national Marine and Fisheries Institute in Karawang, West Java.This educational institution which was built in 2012 is the development from Fisheries College (STP) and Fisheries Academy (AP) to become a world-class educational institution. "To realize this program, Karawang Regency has prepared a land area of 65 Hectares. While the budget of 300 billion rupiah will be borne together by the Indonesian and Korean Government for each 150 billion rupiah," explained Head of Marine and Fisheries Human Resources Development, Syarief Widjaya, after opening Indonesia-Korea Ocean and Fisheries Forum (IKOFF) today (6/7) in Jakarta.

The effort to realize this program, KKP previously has done the partnership with the Ministry of National Education so that this marine and fisheries institution can be a world-class higher educational institution and become the Top ten marine and fisheries vocational education in the world. This higher educational institution aims to make superior and characteristic experts to compete in the world of work for national or international level, as well as for make the young enterpreneurs in marine and fisheries sector.

The International Seminar of Indonesia Korea Ocean and Fisheries Forum (The 1st IKOFF) filled with the explanation from leading experts and practitioner in marine, maritime, and fisheries from Indonesia and Korea with three sub-themes, which are sustainable preservation and development of marine and coastal; new source of technology and creative activities of marine. One day before, KKP and KMI has done the signing of Letter of Intent (LoI) to increase partnership in marine and fisheries sector between Indonesia and Korea. This agreement signed by Secretary General of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), Gellwynn Jusuf with the President of Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), Hak So Kim, also witnessed by Chairman of Land, Transportation, and Marine Affairs Comission of the Korean House of Representatives, Kwang Keun Chang.

KKP and KMI will be looking for the opportunity to increase partnership in scientific and marine and fisheries research, development and enhancement the capacity of marine technology, marine resources for alternative energy, sustainable and integrated management of marine ecosystem and coastal, fisheries biological resources conservation, the establishment of marine policy study centre, including marine and fisheries," explained Fadel. According to him, these opportunities will be achieved by training, workshop and increasing of other building capacity, such as research and joint development, exchange of experts, information, and related data. For the implementation of this agreement, KKP and KMI will appoint each vocal point to discuss more about operational stride.

For further information, please contact Dr. Yulistyo Mudho, M.Sc, Head of Data, Statistics and Information Center, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (Mobile: 0811836967)

ANTARA journalists join multimedia training in Netherlands

Antara News, Wed, June 22 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A number of ANTARA journalists will attend a multimedia journalism training in the Netherlands under the StuNed scholarship provided by the Nuffic-Neso and the Dutch government.

To mark the beginning of the training program, Indonesian Nuffice-Neso scholarship coordinator Indy Hartono handed the scholarships to the ANTARA CEO Ahmad Mukhlis Yusuf here in Jakarta, Wednesday.

The training is scheduled to be held on June 27 - July 15, 2011 at the Radio Netherlands Training Center (RNTC), Hilversum, the Netherlands, aimed to increase ANTARA journalists` professional skills.

In the training, the participants would also have the chance to visit the Netherlands news agency Algemeen Nederlands Persbureu (ANP).

"RNTC is a training facility designed for journalists, the fourth opportunity for Indonesian journalists to participate in the event at RNTC with different topics according to the necessary needs," Indy said in her opening remarks.

Indy also said that StuNed supports journalists` capacity building to promote democracy.

"By studying at RNTC, the participants would not only learn theory but also to practice with proper equipment," Indy said.

The 16 participants in the three weeks training from from ANTARA News Agency are active journalists and one manager of ANTARA Journalism School (LPJA).

Besides the Jakarta based ANTARA journalists, there are also several those from bureaus attending this training such as from Pontianak, Makassar and Denpasar.

Upon their return from the Netherlands, they are expected to apply what they have gained there to develop antaranews.comportal, including the enrichment of content and sections within it.

In the long run, the knowledge gained will be disseminated through training courses organized by LPJA, particularly in the multimedia journalism field.

On that occasion, ANTARA CEO Ahmad Mukhlis Yusuf welcomed the training as an endeavor to strengthen ANTARA as a multimedia news agency.

"Besides the training, it is also expected to reinforce the mindset that is needed to manage the current media, supported by the latest IT infrastructure, the discipline of media players, and network expanding" he said.

With the LPJA manager attending the training, it is also expected that the training methodology can be an additional reference for the management of multimedia journalism education in ANTARA.

ANTARA News Agency also thanked NESO for their cooperation and the scholarships, the program might be continued each year, and involve the PWI (Indonesia Press Association), Press Council and other journalist organizations, ANTARA is ready to help facilitate, Mukhlis said.

Nuffic Neso Indonesia is a non-profit organization officially designated and funded by the Dutch government to deal with various matters relating to the Dutch higher education.

StuNed, stands for Studeren in Nederland, or study in the Netherlands, is a scholarship program that is part of the development cooperation policy of the Dutch government which aims to support the achievement of the "UN Millennium Development Goals" in 2015.

Editor: Bambang

Indonesian students have widest opportunities in New Zealand universities

Antara News, Fri, June 17 2011

Makassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Indonesian students have wider opportunities to study at various universities in New Zealand, an Indonesian official said here on Thursday.

Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand Antonius Agus Triyono said many leading universities there offer wide opportunities for Indonesian students to study so long as they meet the admission requirements.

"There is no limit so long as they meet the admission requirements," Antonius said, adding that the universities in New Zealand are interested in more foreign students, especially from Indonesia.

According to him, there are more Malaysian and Vietnamese students there than those from Indonesia, and therefore he encouraged Indonesian students to study in the neighboring country.

"My job is to encourage as many Indonesian students as possible to study at New Zealand`s universities because the situation and the quality of education there is very good," Antonius said after a meeting with South Sulawesi Governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo.

The Indonesian ambassador to New Zealand met with the South Sulawesi governor to convey the offer of cooperation in education from Massey University.

Antonius said the university was offering three schemes of cooperation in diploma three program for nursing education with the students from South Sulawesi.

The cooperation was then signed by the South Sulawesi governor with first scheme is for the students who have finished the second year of nursing school in Makassar can continue the third year at Massey University in New Zealand and then to have an opportunity to work there for one to two years.

"The second scheme covers nursing students exchange program and the third is "sandwich program" or postgraduate program," said the Indonesian ambassador to New Zealand.

Editor: Bambang

Oz disburses Rp 4.5t in grants for education in RI

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Wed, 06/08/2011

Australia has disbursed Rp 4.5 trillion (US$526.5 million) in grants to support priority education programs in Indonesia for the 2010-2014 period, including for workshops to support the School Operational Aid (BOS) policy.

The grants were officially handed over by AusAID's Minister-Counsellor for Jakarta Jacqui de Lacy to Indonesian National Education Minister Mohammad Nuh at a ceremony in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Nuh said the funds would be used to improve the quality of education across Indonesia's elementary and junior high schools, including Islamic schools, in support of the nine-year compulsory education program.

He added that one of the priority programs for this funding would be to organize training for schools to better manage BOS funds disbursed by the central government.

“Schools across Indonesia need pushing and full support in using the BOS funds they've been receiving. It is important for schools to understand the essence of planning, responsibility, supervision and evaluation [in the implementation of BOS],” Nuh said after the ceremony, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

Applications for 2012 Australian development scholarships now open

Antara News, Mon, June 6 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Australian Government is pleased to announce that applications for Australian Development Scholarships (ADS) are now open, the Australian Embassy here said in a media release on Monday.

The program will offer up to 400 scholarships to Indonesians to study for Masters or Doctorate degrees in Australia and whose studies contribute to Indonesia`s progress.

Australia`s ambassador to Indonesia, Greg Moriarty, said the Australian Development Scholarships have been an important component of the Australian Government`s overseas aid program to Indonesia since 1950s.

"Australian Development Scholarships aim to contribute to long-term human resource development goals in Indonesia and to strengthen people-to-people links between our two countries," said Ambassador Moriarty.

Australian Development Scholarships are targeted at advancing development priorities which are set each year by Australia and Indonesia. In 2012, these include Sustainable Growth and Economic management; Democracy, Justice and Good Governance; Investing in People; and Safey and Peace.

"This program is conducted in close partnership with the Indonesian government. The impact of the program is visible through the thousands of ADS alumni who have returned to Indonesia and contributed to Indonesia`s progress," said the ambassador.

An equal number of scholarships will be allocated to men and women and up to 30 per cent to people from East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, Papua, West Papua and Aceh, the focus areas for Australia`s aid program.

Applications for the 2012 intake close on August 26, 2011.

Editor: Aditia Maruli

Australian govt expands bridge school partnership program

Antara News, Wed, June 1 2011 

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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Australia`s Ambassador to Indonesia, Greg Moriarty, on Wednesday announced the continuation of the Australia-Indonesia Building Relations through Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement (BRIDGE) program, the Australian embassy said in its media release on Wednesday.

The ambassador announced the program during a visit to SMAN 15 Surabaya, one of the first Indonesian schools to join the program in 2008.

"Australia is committed to building stronger people-to-people links between Australian and Indonesian schools to increase knowledge and understanding of our two countries," said Ambassador Moriarty.

This new $3.6 million, five-year program will forge more than 80 new school partnerships and involve more than 3,500 Australian and Indonesian teachers and more than 100,000 students through information technology, social networking tools, school visits and on-line training sessions. Four schools from Surabaya, Malang and Kediri have joined the new program, bringing the total number of BRIDGE schools in East Java to fourteen.

"The BRIDGE program has worked with the private sector and communities to deliver education benefits to thousands of teachers and students in Australia and Indonesia. The first phase of BRIDGE built people-to-people links between more than 90,000 Australian and Indonesian students and thousands of teachers," said Ambassador Moriarty.

"Being a part of BRIDGE has been a great benefit to our school. It has meant our students have been more motivated to learn English and are able to use ICT more confidently. Our students are looking forward to visiting our partner school Kormilda College in Darwin later this year to share and participate in learning and cultural activities," said SMAN 15 BRIDGE teacher Ali Gufron.

The program is funded by the Australian Government in partnership with The Myer Foundation and delivered by the Asia Education Foundation and Australia-Indonesia Institute.

The new program will be run in 12 Indonesian provinces and 8 Australian states and territories.

Editor: Aditia Maruli

Govt aims to produce 4,000 qualified sailors a year

Arghea Desafti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 05/25/2011

The Transportation Ministry has announced plans to produce 4,000 sailors annually to meet increasing demand.

“We are currently producing 1,500 [graduates] a year from our state-owned sailing academies [STIP]. Hopefully we can increase the number of graduates to 4,000 next year,” Transportation Ministry Education and Training chief Bobby Mamahit said Wednesday at a discussion on improving the quality of human resources in the transportation sector.

Ministry data reveals that Indonesia will require at least 43,800 new sailors over the next five years.

The ministry is currently operating sailing schools in Jakarta, Tangerang, Semarang, Makassar, Surabaya, Barombong and Serang.

“One of the challenges we face is that we are still seeing graduates preferring to work for companies overseas rather than here in [Indonesia]," Bobby said.

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Indonesian students, scholars sent to US under Fulbright program

Antara News, Thu, May 19 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Ambassador Scot Marciel, Deputy Minister of Education Fasli Jalal and former Indonesian Ambassador to the US Dorojatun Kuntoro Jakti opened the Annual American Indonesian Exchange Foundation (AMINEF) Fulbright Pre-Departure Orientation here last Friday.

This year`s pre-departure orientation and networking event brought together the largest group of Fulbright programs in AMINEF`s 19 year history and Fulbright`s 59 year history in Indonesia, according to the US Embassy here in its official website on Thursday.

The conference which included 204 Indonesian Fulbright and other related programs candidates and 20 American grantees is designed to establish fundamental understanding of the vision and mission of the Fulbright program among the Indonesian candidates and American grantees.

It is also designed to prepare the Indonesian candidates for their upcoming academic programs in the United States.

While this year is historic in numbers, the U.S. Embassy is looking forward to celebrating AMIEF`s 20 year anniversary next year and the 60th anniversary of Fulbright in Indonesia.

Editor: Ella Syafputri