Ambassador Indroyono Promotes Virtual Meetings for Indonesian and US Students
The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the United States, Indroyono Soesilo, is pushing for the expansion of educational cooperation between Indonesia and the United States through online meeting programmes for students from an early age. According to Indroyono, technological advancements offer opportunities for primary school students in both nations to get to know one another, understand each other’s cultures, and build stronger people-to-people connections in the future.
“We hope that in the future, online meeting programmes between primary school students in Indonesia and the United States can be developed so they can get to know each other from an early age through increasingly advanced technological support,” Indroyono stated in a press release from the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, received in Jakarta on Saturday.
This idea follows the success of the Embassy Adoption Program (EAP), which introduces Indonesia to public school students in Washington D.C. through various educational and cultural activities. On 2 June, fifth-grade students from the John R. Francis Education Campus visited Wisma Indonesia in Washington D.C., demonstrating high enthusiasm while answering questions regarding Indonesian art and culture.
The ability of American students to recognise Indonesia is a result of learning through the EAP, a global educational programme that connects public school students in Washington D.C. with embassies and diplomatic representatives from various countries. Ambassador Indroyono believes that through this programme, Indonesia is not only introduced as the largest archipelagic nation in Southeast Asia but also maintains a tangible presence in the learning experiences of the American youth.
He also praised the EAP as a vital component of soft diplomacy and a means to strengthen the relationship between the people of both nations. Established in 1974 through a partnership between Washington D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) and Washington Performing Arts, the programme provides opportunities for students in grades 5 and 6 to study language, culture, history, cuisine, and the perspectives of adopted countries on various global issues.
In its implementation, diplomats routinely visit classrooms, while teachers and embassy representatives work together to develop curricula aligned with DCPS educational standards. The pinnacle of the EAP activities, the Capstone Presentation held at Wisma Indonesia, serves as a platform for students to present their learning outcomes to parents, diplomatic representatives, and Washington Performing Arts.
To date, the EAP has connected over 50,000 students in Washington D.C. with more than 100 embassies and diplomatic missions from various countries. The programme has previously received awards from the United States Department of Education as a top international education programme. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Embassy in Washington has participated in the programme for approximately the last 20 years. For the 2025–2026 academic year, the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, in collaboration with the John R. Francis Education Campus, is organising various Indonesia-themed activities, including batik workshops to introduce this Indonesian cultural heritage to American students.