Pelita Harapan joins with foreign colleges
Pelita Harapan joins with foreign colleges
TANGERANG (JP): The University of Pelita Harapan (UPH) at
Lippo Karawaci here signed a memorandum of understanding
yesterday with several foreign universities and industrial
companies to improve its students' knowledge and skills in
industrial technology.
The MOU was signed by UPH's rector Johannes Oentoro and
representatives of the foreign universities, including Griffith
and La Trobe Universities of Australia and New Zealand's Wanganui
Polytechnic School of Art and Design. Among the industrial
companies were PT Siemens Indonesia and PT Festo and Suken Japan.
The signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Education and
Culture Wiranto Arismunandar, Dutch Ambassador Paul R. Brouwer,
New Zealand Ambassador Michael Green and Lippo Group chairman
Mochtar Riady.
The signing of the MOU was intended mainly to enable UPH to
further expand global cooperation and upgrade its technology
facilities.
Johannes said in his speech that to survive and continue
developing, universities were being forced to closely cooperate
both among themselves and with industrial companies.
"Such cooperation is vital to enable us to catch up with
recent achievements in the development of education and
industrial technology," he said.
"But industrial technology is not the only issue. There are
two major things we have to prioritize, namely technology for
humanity and clear thinking and creativity," he said, although he
added that the two could not really be separated when trying to
develop people's intellect.
Wiranto said he expected other local universities to follow
UPH's example in the cooperation field.
"The priority is how to improve the essential elements of
education to enable each university to develop their own
characteristics within the positive spirit of competition," he
said.
The signing ceremony was followed by the opening of the Center
for Industrial Technology, an industrial technology workshop
displaying machine tools from Dutch companies under the
coordination of STI (Systems Technologiques Industriels)
Netherlands.
The center is equipped with six laboratories worth 4.8 million
Dutch guilders (US$2.3 million), consisting of discrete and
process technology, discrete production, process orientated
production, CAD, CAM and CAE technologies, CNC techniques and
material technology.
Brouwer expressed confidence that the center could contribute
to the improvement of industrial technology in Indonesia.
"The center here can function as a pilot project in industrial
technology," he said.
The display of the equipment, along with a bazaar,
competition, presentation and scientific oration, and seminars on
economy and business, science and technology, and art and design,
will run until tomorrow. (09)