Minister: Canada is a Destination for the 'Sekolah Garuda' Programme

The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) is opening up opportunities to strengthen higher education cooperation between Indonesia and Canada, including talent development, student and lecturer mobility, research collaboration, and the potential expansion of partnerships between universities in both countries. Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto stated in Jakarta on Thursday that Canada is one of the destination countries for the ‘Sekolah Garuda’ Programme. “We hope that Canadian universities can support Indonesia through the student admission process so that students can attend lectures,” said Minister Brian Yuliarto. The Minister revealed that higher education cooperation between Indonesia and Canada continues to grow. As of September 2025, there were 108 active cooperation agreements between universities in the two countries, covering student exchanges, research collaboration, joint academic programme development, and the organisation of scientific seminars. Ambassador Muhsin Syihab added that the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Ottawa continues to explore and facilitate various initiatives to strengthen relations between higher education institutions in both countries. “We will try to encourage something concrete in the future regarding the relationship between these two parties,” said Ambassador Muhsin Syihab. The discussions included strengthening pre-departure briefings, academic readiness, cultural orientation, and coordination between Kemdiktisaintek and the Indonesian Representative in Canada to support the smooth study of Indonesian students. In addition, efforts to increase scholarship support from the government and universities in Canada for Indonesian students were also part of the discussion, as part of efforts to expand access to higher education.