Management, business subjects remain top choices

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.