Indonesian students buy Aussie education with ringgit

KUALA LUMPUR (JP): Three years ago, Meity Prihatiningsih Setiawan was one of only a few lucky Indonesian students admitted to Monash University in Malaysia.

These days the number of Indonesian students taking various courses at the renowned international university has jumped to 72, or half of its total of 144 foreign students.

"I'm preoccupied with performing well and completing my studies in time. I'm obsessed at becoming a successful entrepreneur some time in the future," Meity, 21, told The Jakarta Post recently.

Meity is now in her third year in the School of Business Management and Marketing at the university, which is situated in Bandar Sunway, some 38 kilometers south of the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, and is an integral part of the Sunway township.

Data from the university reveals that almost 1,400 locals are studying there.

According to Meity, the expenses needed for studying at Monash in Kuala Lumpur is relatively cheaper compared to its campuses in Melbourne or other cities in Australia.

"I annually spend about M$32,000, which includes M$20,000 for tuition fees, M$2,400 for on-campus accommodation and M$5,400 for food.

"(At Monash's campuses) in Australia, an international student has to spend double that with tuition fees costing about A$14,000 (M$28,000) while living costs are about A$15,000," she said.

Meity, whose parents live in Kali Malang subdistrict in East Jakarta, said she was preparing to take the final exam for her bachelor's degree this September and would go home to commence a career in the business sector afterward.

Yasmine Sembiring, another Indonesian student in the bachelor program in the School of Accounting and Banking Finance, is pleased with the staff and facilities at the university.

"Monash has its own standard of quality in terms of teaching staff, titles, campus rules, teaching methods, campus activities and educational facilities and the university has its own committee to ensure the quality of all campuses.

"That's why students in Malaysia are allowed to move to other campuses in Australia or Johannesburg, South Africa and vice versa," she said.

Yasmine lives in a dorm on campus so she can take part in all the university's activities, both formal and informal.

"From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays, students have a full schedule of classes, labs and informal activities.

"And we are used to this hectic schedule," she said.

Several students' associations, such as the Monash University International Student Association, regularly organizes activities to allow students to learn more about Malaysia and other foreign cultures.

"For instance, I had great pleasure in demonstrating the Batak way of cooking at a recent cultural festival organized by Indonesian students. At the same time, I learned the food, unique customs, folk dances and traditions from students coming from other countries," Yasmine continued.

An Indonesian student from Jambi, Christian, also shared his positive views, particularly at the growing number of campus friends from numerous countries, like Hong Kong, South Korea, Bangladesh, India and Malaysia.

"Being a student at a university like this gives me a quality education, a precious experience with international friends and many other advantages which has helped develop my personality," he said.

Christian believed that he might not gain such a rich experience in Indonesia.

Henjo Irawan, majoring in accounting and banking finance, said he chose Monash University Malaysia to study at because living costs in Malaysia were cheaper than in Australia, while the campuses in both countries provided equally good standards.

Jakarta campus

Professor Robert Bignall, the pro vice chancellor of the Monash University Malaysia, said he highly appreciated Indonesian students' eagerness to study at the university.

"Most Indonesian students studying at this university have shown their good grades and several have won scholarships. They have a great potential to achieve progress and are Indonesia's assets to develop the country," he said.

Asked why Monash University had yet to build a campus in Indonesia, Bignall, popularly known as Prof. Bob on the Malaysia campus, said Indonesia remains a potential market for the business but it was impossible for Monash to invest their money there at present due to political instability.

"The political situation in Indonesia is not conducive," he said, adding that Monash had actually planned to have a campus somewhere in Jakarta but that was canceled following the uncertainties over the last three years.

Monash University is based in Australia and currently has seven campuses in Clayton, Caulfield, Peninsula, Gippsland, Parkville, Berwick and Kuala Lumpur.

"The Malaysian campus brings to the Asia-Pacific region quality educational opportunities for students to complete degrees," he said.

The undergraduate courses, selected to meet the demands of students in the region, are bachelor degrees in business and commerce, computer science, computing, business and information technology, engineering, biotechnology, environmental management, communications and nursing. (rms)