Dutch govt offers scholarships

JAKARTA: The Dutch government has offered scholarships for Indonesian students to pursue higher education in the Netherlands.

Loek Hermans, the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, said on Tuesday that the scheme was aimed at boosting ties between the two countries.

Hermans said that under the Delta scholarship program, the Dutch government had allocated some 600,000 euros to pay tuition fees and allowances for short-listed Indonesian students this year.

The amount of funds earmarked for the program would reach four million euros in 2005.

Under the scholarships, the Indonesian students can pursue higher education courses in universities, colleges and research institutes in the Netherlands.

Currently, some 1,559 Indonesians are studying in the Netherlands, compared to only 139 in 1997.

Earlier on Monday, Hermans signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Indonesian Minister of Education and Culture, Malik Fadjar, for collaboration in the field of higher education.

On the same day, he also signed an MOU with Minister of Research and Technology Hatta Radjasa for collaboration in the fields of research and development. -- Antara