RI doctoral students arrive in Australia

RI doctoral students arrive in Australia

JAKARTA (JP): The first six of an eventual 145 Indonesian doctoral students have arrived in Australia to take part in a course at the University of Tasmania's School of Education.

The group of six are all teachers from the IKIP Teachers College in Padang, West Sumatra, and have enrolled in the University of Tasmania's in-service education doctorate course.

David Lloyd, Director of the university's Office of International and Commercial Services, said the course emerged from discussions in 1993, when IKIP Padang approached the university for help in upgrading the qualifications of its teaching staff.

The agreement allows IKIP teaching staff to study the first part of their three-year program in Tasmania. The final part of their program will be completed in Indonesia and will largely be dedicated to research, with the remaining coursework left for summer school.

"IKIP and the University of Tasmania will jointly supervise the research component," Lloyd said in a statement on Saturday.

"The students will be able to apply the theoretical skills gained during the course after they return to Padang for the research component of the course," Lloyd said.

The students will produce theses concentrating on the development of education services in West Sumatra, which is expected to contribute to the work of policy planners in the region.

Over the next seven years, 145 IKIP teachers are expected to take the course. The current group of students were chosen for their high levels of English proficiency.

Australian students from the University of Tasmania will also study at IKIP Padang. Next January, a group of 75 Indonesian language students from around Australia will travel to Padang to take part in a six-week summer program in Indonesian language and culture. (swe)