Dutch govt offers scholarships

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