PM Lawrence Wong Invites Garuda School Students for Exchange Programme to Singapore

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has invited students from Sekolah Garuda to participate in a student exchange programme to Singapore. The invitation is part of efforts to strengthen people-to-people ties between the two countries. The initiative was conveyed by PM Lawrence Wong during a joint press statement following a Leaders’ Retreat with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the Merdeka Palace on Monday, 6 July 2026. Wong said that student exchange programmes are an effective way to strengthen friendship and mutual understanding between the communities of both countries. “We will support student exchanges with Sekolah Garuda so that the younger generations of both countries can learn from each other,” Wong said. He added that such programmes are already underway. For example, several universities in Singapore received visits from Taruna Nusantara High School students from Central Java last April. In return, students from Singapore are scheduled to visit Indonesia next month. Nevertheless, Wong said Singapore wants to expand the student exchange programme with Sekolah Garuda so that the younger generations of both countries can learn from each other and build understanding from an early age. According to him, strengthening relations among the youth is a crucial foundation for maintaining the strategic partnership between Indonesia and Singapore in the future. “Programmes like these build friendship and mutual understanding between the people of both countries,” Wong stated. Wong said that student exchanges are one of the important agendas in the people-to-people cooperation between Indonesia and Singapore discussed during the two leaders’ retreat. In addition to touching on cooperation in the education sector, Wong also welcomed the increase in connectivity between Indonesia and Singapore, reflected in the opening of a direct flight route between Singapore and Pontianak, which began operating last week. “We hope to have more flights to various regions in Indonesia so that tourists can enjoy the beauty of Indonesia, support the tourism sector, and encourage more people-to-people interaction between the two countries,” he explained.