Malaysia, S'pore offer world class education

Debbie A. Lubis, Contributor, Jakarta

For many Indonesian parents, similarities in culture, language and proximity have become the main considerations in choosing a country for their children to study in.

Although Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and European countries -- the United Kingdom, Germany and The Netherlands -- have traditionally been popular destinations for overseas study, neighboring countries Singapore and Malaysia have emerged as important alternatives.

Many affluent families have sent their children to study in neighboring Malaysia and Singapore due their close proximity and their modern and efficient education, health and transportation systems.

"Indonesian parents still want their kids to stay close to them," Lilya Hasan, Head of Business Development of Edlink+Connex Indonesia said.

Edlink+Connex represents most of the educational institutions offering high school to postgraduate programs in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and undergraduate programs in Malaysia.

The three countries offered internationally recognized educational institutions, affordable living costs, a conducive atmosphere to study and a clean and healthy environment, Lilya said.

"The accommodation (in these places) is not only comfortable, but also clean. And in Singapore, the MRT system enables students to travel easily between home and school," she said.

Cylvi of Cosmo Education said most Indonesian parents chose Malaysia or Singapore because of the close proximity of the two neighboring countries to Indonesia and the similarity in their cultures.

The countries' educational institutions also offered twinning, transfer or full degree programs with international qualifications and used English as their medium of instruction.

Cosmo Education has sent around 200 students to study in Malaysia and 75 to Singapore during the past three years. Cylvi said business, information technology and computer science courses were favorite majors among Indonesian students.

"Science, engineering, design, hospitality and tourism are also in demand," she said.

Choosing the right institution was the first challenge most students faced after graduating from secondary school, she said.

One of the favorite universities in Singapore is Singapore Management University located in the historic Bukit Timah campus.

"Indonesian students form 20 percent of our international students (the second largest), and their favorite major is the business program," university corporate communications manager Lim Nah said. The campus plans to move to a permanent city campus in Singapore's civic and business hub next year.

Today, the university is home to 2,250 students and currently offers five undergraduate programs -- the Bachelor of Accountancy; Bachelor of Business Management; Bachelor of Science (Economics); Bachelor of Science (Information Systems Management); and the Bachelor of Social Science.

Incorporated on Jan. 12, 2000, the university's raison d'etre is to groom outstanding business leaders and creative entrepreneurs capable of excelling in a rapidly changing and dynamic world.

Its collaboration with America's top business school -- The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania -- allows the students to draw on Wharton's academic and research strengths across all major disciplines. Its School of Information Systems also has established a partnership with the IT-renowned Carnegie Mellon University.

Of course, there are requirements for overseas study. Indonesian students must have their Ebtanas/UAN and SATI final exam results when applying for admission to Singapore Management University, Liam Nah said.

Cylvi said students had to prepare for their English proficiency test such as IELTS or TOEFL before studying in Malaysia or Singapore since teaching activities in both countries are conducted in English.

"Indonesian students from all levels of education are eligible for studying in Malaysia or Singapore as long as they have a formal education and fulfill the requirement of their desired program. Different programs will have different entry requirements."

She added the students also need to prepare passports, student visas, arrange their accommodation, learn about the culture and immigration regulations in their destination country, have a medical checkup, pay for their tuition fees, and attend a pre- departure briefing. "They also need to have an English-Indonesian dictionary, electronic equipment, and arrange an airport pickup service".

For high school students who wish to continue their high school in Singapore, Lilya suggested they undertake a high school preparation program, which usually focused on subjects such as mathematics, science and English. The students then sit a government test and are put into a government high school based on their results.

Australia also offers many kinds of majors of study to Indonesian students. Students, who would like to go to junior, senior high or university in Australia, can meet counselors at Australia education offices in big cities across Indonesia to discuss their preferred majors and places of study.