Malaysia, S'pore offer world class education

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.