Indonesian students in Australia should continue studying<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Education and Culture Juwono
\nSudarsono urged Indonesian students in Australia to continue
\ntheir studies and not to become distracted by the deteriorating
\ndiplomatic relations between the two countries.<\/p>\n
\"Don't let the worsening relations between the two countries
\nas a result of the East Timor situation disturb your studies,\"
\nJuwono said on Friday.<\/p>\n
Australia is the second most popular destination for
\nIndonesians studying abroad after the United States.<\/p>\n
The number of Indonesian students in Australia has nearly
\ntripled following the violent upheavals here in May 1998.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Education and Culture estimates there are now
\nsome 20,000 Indonesians studying in Australia, compared to 8,000
\nin mid-1997.<\/p>\n
Juwono said education and politics were two separate matters,
\nadding that if the Australian government evacuated its nationals
\nstudying here, Indonesia would not follow suit.<\/p>\n
Australian Embassy spokesman John Milne told The Jakarta Post
\nhere on Friday that rumors of a pullout of Australian students in
\nIndonesia were untrue.<\/p>\n
There are at least 60 Australians studying in Indonesia, most
\nat Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and Muhammadiyah
\nUniversity in Malang, East Java.<\/p>\n
The supervisor of Australian students in Yogyakarta, who is
\nalso a lecturer from Murdoch University in Australia, David
\nReeves, confirmed that none of the Australian students had left
\nIndonesia due to the diplomatic crisis and that there were no
\nimmediate plans for an evacuation.<\/p>\n
\"So far, none of my students intend to quit their studies in
\nYogyakarta,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Reeves also said that in November another group of around 50
\nAustralian students was expected to arrive in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"The rector of Gadjah Mada guaranteed that nothing bad would
\nhappen in Yogyakarta and we believed him,\" he told the Post.<\/p>\n
However, we were asked to keep a low profile, he added. (04)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesian-students-in-australia-should-continue-studying-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }