Graduates need extra effort

I am writing in response to letters from Olivia Lestari Indra Why foreign graduates? (Feb. 15) and Y. Samto Foreign and domestic graduates (Feb. 19). Thank you for writing your articles on foreign and domestic graduates and on expatriate consultants. The subject is definitely very interesting and in a way I do share both of your views.

I am not an educator nor a very good engineer. But I have attended school in Indonesia, Japan and the USA. I worked with engineers and managers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, America and Europe.

In my opinion, good schools in Indonesia, like ITB, Gadjah Mada, Trisakti and others are academically equal to, if not superior, to good schools in Japan and the USA. I do see a big difference though in the greater emphasis American technical schools put on communication skills and other non-technical subjects. American schools may teach less mathematics and electromagnetic theories, but they do try to guide students towards logical thinking and individual research.

Some Indonesian students see university graduation as the ultimate goal. American graduates consider a university degree a stepping stone to his or her career. Most foreigners continue to pursue their studies long after they leave campus. This is perhaps one reason why foreign engineers are more productive than Indonesian counterparts, although they are not necessarily any smarter.

I think that if Indonesian engineers put more effort into becoming effective engineers, the need for expatriate consultants in Indonesia would decrease rapidly. The money saved could be used to pay professors better wages, to buy books or Internet facilities, to build labs and provide scholarships for deserving students.

In fact, even at the present time, Indonesians can step into quite a few expats' shoes if given the chance and if they are willing to make the extra effort.

DJOKO SOEJOTO

Bandung, West Java