Germany aims foreign students<\/p>\n
By Marieke van Heek<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Education for free? That must be paradise for
\nstudents.<\/p>\n
This is the case in Germany, where a university education can
\nbe had for free -- an important reason for international
\nstudents, including Indonesians, to study there.<\/p>\n
During a seminar at the German Embassy on Friday, the German
\nAcademic Exchange Service (DAAD) explained plans for making the
\nGerman educational system more convenient for international
\nstudents. The seminar was a part of the five-day Education,
\nTraining and Technology exhibition at the Jakarta Convention
\nCenter, which lasts tomorrow.<\/p>\n
At the moment 140,000 foreign students are studying in
\nGermany, including 2,000 Indonesian students.<\/p>\n
Germany has always encouraged international students to study
\nin the country by offering scholarships. The incentive draws
\nlarge amounts of applications, forcing a tight selection process
\nat each university. As many as 300 of the Indonesian students in
\nGermany are there on scholarship.<\/p>\n
Free education aside, students must worry about living costs,
\nwhich are similar with the rest of Europe. Compared to the costs
\nof living in Indonesia, they may be high. But when compared to
\nAustralia or America, living costs in Germany are considerable
\nlower.<\/p>\n
A foreign student in Germany needs about Dm 1,000 to Dm 1,200
\na month to cover all expenses. For an Indonesian student, that is
\nroughly equivalent to Rp 5.4 million a month. This would include
\nrenting a room, insurance, meals, books and spending money.<\/p>\n
Most German students rent accommodation near their university.
\nRenting a room costs about Dm 200 a month, while insurance is
\nabout Dm 60 a month.<\/p>\n
Students normally either cook themselves or eat at the
\nuniversity canteen to save money. Meal expenses run about Dm 350
\na month. Eating at restaurants would bring up the costs
\nsignificantly.<\/p>\n
Money can also be saved by using library books instead of
\nbuying them. Universities normally have good libraries with a
\nlarge variety of publications. The average cost of a book, should
\na student wish to buy them, is approximately Dm 60 each.<\/p>\n
The remainder of a student's budget is for spending money,
\nwhich should be about Dm 300. Most students join a student union
\nwhich costs Dm 50 a month.<\/p>\n
For students who decide to study abroad it is important to
\nknow whether the degrees offered are officially recognized all
\nover the world. Germany has had a small problem concerning this.<\/p>\n
Adaption<\/p>\n
After years of maintaining their own education system since
\nthe early 1950s, Germany finally concluded that it would adapt
\nits education system to international standards through the
\nAnglo-American system.<\/p>\n
\"The phenomenon of globalization and international pressure
\nmade it necessary for Germany to adjust its education so that the
\nGerman system would be comparable to the international system\",
\nGerman Ambassador to Indonesia Heinrich Seemann said at Friday's
\nseminar.<\/p>\n
To supply the needs of the market, a few German universities
\nstarted the new international program last autumn. Master's and
\nPhD degrees are officially recognized and internationally
\nexchangeable in these programs.<\/p>\n
The new educational program was not only started to attract
\nforeign students, but is also for German students. \"We want to
\noffer a high quality education and international courses to all
\nstudents\", said DAAD director Dorothea Rland.<\/p>\n
About half of the students in the new program are German,
\nwhile the other half are foreign students.<\/p>\n
Six international study programs were presented at the
\nseminar: environmental and resource management, computer science
\nand communications engineering, computational logic, integrated
\ntropical agriculture and forestry science, biotechnology and
\ninternational business.<\/p>\n
By offering these new programs, Germany expects to attract
\nmore international students, including Indonesians.<\/p>\n
Many Indonesian educational institutes have said they were
\ninterested in exchanging students with Germany \"if Germany is
\nflexible in putting together programs for individual students or
\nsmall groups,\" according to an Indonesian professor who attended
\nthe seminar.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/germany-aims-foreign-students-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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