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)