Management, business subjects remain top choices

I. Christianto, Contributor, Jakarta

While the quality of domestic higher education institutions has improved, studying overseas is still an option for many people.

Somehow, wherever Indonesians go to pursue higher education abroad, management and business are always among the most popular subjects.

Foreign organizations dealing with higher education commonly mention various subjects selected by Indonesian students, but many Indonesian students invariably select subjects related to management and business.

Pipin S. Haelani of the Japanese Association of International Education in Jakarta says Indonesian students follow current trends as do students in other nations.

The boom in biotechnology and business administration can lead them to choose those subjects too, as well as graphic design. Basically, they will make their choices based on the needs in the job market, according to Pipin.

She added that as a developed country, Japan offers many interesting subjects, the knowledge of which can be applied in any country, including Indonesia, such as biotechnology, graphic design and animation.

Many Indonesian students taking higher education studies in Britain also select business and management.

Sovie Soetjipto, deputy manager for education promotion of the British Counci, says that Indonesian students favor science, engineering, technology, advertising, fashion, arts and design and English language.

Business, management and finance are also steady favorites, she adds.

Djuned Harun of the New Zealand Trade Development says nowadays many Indonesian students pursue higher education in business, management and engineering as well as information technology.

He added that higher education institutions in Auckland are the most popular for Indonesian students.

A large number of Indonesian students studying in Australia also pursue business and management as well as marketing, says director of IDP Education Australia Isla Rogers-Winarto.

She says Sydney, Melbourne and Perth are the main destinations selected by students studying at Australian educational institutions.

The number of Indonesian students pursuing further education abroad has been steady in recent years after a static period during the economic and financial crisis in Asia and Indonesia.

Pipin said there were about 1,400 Indonesian students studying in Japan last year with a growth rate of 3 percent annually.

She says on average a student would need 140,000 yen (about US$1000) for monthly living costs and 700,000 yen for annual tuition fees. The tuition fee will decrease by about 30 percent in the second year because the admission fee is only paid in the first year.

There was no accurate data available about the most popular higher education institutions for Indonesian students in Japan, she added.

But Indonesian students can be found in most major universities such as the University of Tokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Hiroshima University, Tohoku University, Nanzan University, Waseda University, Keio University and the International University of Japan.

In New Zealand, the number of Indonesian students has also increased by some 5 percent, according to Djuned Harun. There are around 600 Indonesians studying in New Zealand per year, he says.

Isla Rogers-Winarto also says that the total number of Indonesians pursuing education in Australia has increased recently.

At any given year there are generally some 7,500 students from Indonesia in Australia. The number decreased slightly during the monetary crisis, but the drop was not substantial. It has increased again recently, especially as many parents do not want their children to go to the U.S., partly because of the terrorist attacks in September last year.

There is no data available on the total number of students studying in Britain as the British Council does not keep track of Indonesian students who are already there or who come from a third country to Britain.

However, an estimate can be made according to the student visas issued by the British Embassy in Jakarta. Students who departed from Indonesia to study in Britain in the 2000/2001 period numbered 722, said Sovie Soetjipto.

Indonesian students are spread throughout educational institutions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Tuition fees for postgraduate degrees range between 6,750 pounds ($9,450) and 17,400 pounds per year depending on the course, she says.

Like other countries in Asia, many parents would like to send their children to study in the U.S. Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

In the last few years, due to financial considerations, many families have switched their preferred destination to Australia, New Zealand and even to Singapore or Malaysia. Closer proximity may be the reason for the decision.

Quoting a recent survey held by an Australian body, Djuned Harun says that New Zealand has the lowest tuition fees for foreign students compared to their main competitors.

He said accommodation, living costs and tuition fees made New Zealand consistently the cheapest option for overseas students at an average of NZ$12,552 (US$5,724) a year, compared with Australia US$6,262, Canada US$7,157, the United States US$ 8,839, and Britain US$9,102.

Presently, as the economy is recovering, many newcomers such as China and India have been actively promoting their educational institutions in Indonesia.

Pipin says basically there are no major difficulties faced by Indonesian students studying in Japan; there are even some similarities between Japan and Indonesia behind the differences.

The differences in language and weather can be an obstacle, however, consistent efforts and a strong will to study are the key to succeed in everything, she says. Almost all Indonesian graduates from Japan have good experiences and a positive image about studying in Japan.

The Japanese government and private institutions provide many scholarships and financial assistance programs, such as reductions in tuition fees.

Sovie Soetjipto says that Indonesian students choose educational institutions in Britain because of their reputation for academic excellence.

"British education is innovative and up-to-date. Students are not simply taught a subject, they learn to think. It is an active learning process. The approach is also personalized. In many institutions, students are assigned an individual tutor who provides tailored academic guidance."

She says courses are tailored to the students' needs and that the system is very flexible where students can combine academic and vocational study with English language courses to suit their own aims.

Most degree courses offered in Britain, she adds, are subject to strict quality standards overseen by government appointed agencies, she adds.