Study abroad to improve prospects

In this and related articles on Page 2, The Jakarta Post contributors I. Christianto and Nuraini Razak study the channels people can go through in order to win scholarships to study abroad.

JAKARTA (JP): Value is usually added to the evaluation of a potential job applicant when they reveal that, not only have they studied abroad, but they did it on a prestigious scholarship program.

Why? Because many of us still think that overseas graduates are of a higher quality than homegrown ones. This opinion is certainly debatable, but what is certain is that those wanting to study abroad usually think they could have better career prospects, higher potential earnings and a more promising future once their studies are complete.

There are literally thousands of courses to choose from and hundreds of schools, colleges and universities for a chance to study in English, German, French, Italian, Japanese, etc. Subjects range from science, arts and humanities to technology, business and engineering.

The type of learning activities available range from independent schooling to postgraduate higher education. Study abroad programs often offer more course options, more flexibility and more opportunities for students to realize their ambitions.

However, the fact that course fees abroad are significantly higher than studying the equivalent courses in local universities has pushed many potential candidates to apply for scholarships.

Monique Soesman of the Netherlands Education Center (NEC) said her institution offers various scholarships for Indonesians, including the Tinbergen Scholarship Program (TSP), Regular Fellowship Program (RFP), STUNED (Study in Nederland), Special Fellowship Program (SFP), University Fellowship Program (UFP) and Huygens Scholarship Program.

The TSP is a student exchange program at bachelor degree level for a maximum of two semesters. Under this program Indonesian students are sent to a partner institution in the Netherlands.

The RFP, STUNED and SFP programs are for professionals under 40 years (male) and 45 years (female) who wish to undertake a masters degree.

"An age limitation is necessary because it has something to do with productivity," Monique said.

She added that the target group for STUNED includes university lecturers, government officials, NGO staff and other professionals, as most of the programs focus on three major fields: poverty alleviation, environment and good governance.

She said SFP is a tailor-made program to meet specific requirements, while UFP is for fresh graduates or those who graduated no longer than two years ago and wish to undertake postgraduate study within a restricted number of courses.

Huygens is for research for any PhD. program for a period up to 10 months only, she added.

General requirements include an educational background that is directly related to the course subject, an adequate level of English (TOEFL 500-550) and good health.

Monique said STUNED is the only program financed by NEC, while the other programs are financially supported by the Dutch government.

"In principle, there are numerous studies conducted in English which may attract students from Indonesia. Therefore students do not have to master the Dutch language prior to their departure.

"For the first time, there's one female student who will undertake a linguistics program taught in the Indonesian language. She will commence study next year," she said.

There are 145 students receiving the scholarship this year, compared to 85 in 2000.

"Total funds allocated to the scholarship this year is 6 million guilders (Rp 27.5 billion), doubled from 3 million guilders in 2000, so more Indonesians are able to get the scholarships. NEC is happy there are more applicants from outside of Java," she said.

She added that next year NEC will promote the scholarship programs to more provinces across Indonesia.

"NEC will be pleased if there are more applicants from areas outside Java," she said, adding that those interested in applying for any of the scholarships are advised to submit their applications and related documents immediately before the deadlines -- usually in February, April and May.

Candidates are normally selected by an independent committee whose members include personnel from the Dutch embassy, Netherlands Alumni Association and other institutes, she said.

Companies

In addition to scholarships offered by embassies in Jakarta or foreign educational institutes, there are also higher education programs offered by private companies. One such company is PT Fujitsu Systems Indonesia.

Andaruwati of Fujitsu said that the company usually selects two talented Indonesians annually to undertake an MBA program and a short course in Hawaii.

"This year is the 18th program. We will start receiving applications from this month until October," she said.

She said that the MBA program and the short course are both held at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu.

"The MBA programs last 15 months, which includes three-months of job training. Meanwhile, the short course is a four month program which includes job training in Japan," Andaruwati said.

The scholarship for the MBA program is worth around US$50,000 to $55,000 and covers full tuition, airfares and living costs. The scholarship for the short course is worth between $13,000 and 21,000, she said.

She said that the program started in 1985 when Fujitsu commemorated its 50th anniversary. "The program is dedicated to improving the quality of education and human resources in Indonesia," she said.

Andaruwati said that, since the beginning of the programs, there has only 100 applications forms for each one.

"Many people are interested in the program," she said. "But we will not give forms to anyone whose TOEFL score is below 600 for the MBA program and below 500 for the short course program. Many people do not meet this preliminary requirement."

In addition, the MBA candidates should also have GMAT with a minimum score of 500, she said, adding that all candidates should have a bachelor degree with a minimum three year's professional experience.

"There's no age limitation for the program, and, interestingly, we see candidates with a wide range of educational backgrounds every year. Once, a physician won the MBA program," Andaruwati said.

She said the Fujitsu office in Jakarta would send 200 applications to Honolulu for the selection process.

"There are usually some seven candidates shortlisted. A panel, consisting of personnel from Fujitsu headquarters in Japan and the University of Hawaii, will come to Jakarta in February to interview the candidates. Then there will be only one winner for both the MBA and short course program," she said, adding that the decision was usually announced in April.

Universities

There are some overseas universities offering scholarships to Indonesian students. Among them is Nanyang Technical University (NTU) in Singapore.

A representative of NTU in Jakarta, Tyson Sutandi, said that the university had been offering the scholarship to Indonesian students for quite some time.

"There are scholarships both for graduate and postgraduate degrees in civil engineering, electronics, mechanical engineering, computer engineering and material engineering," he said.

What if people wish to study overseas but not to pursue a degree? The Nippon Foundation Fellowship offers great opportunities to Indonesians for research and other activities with its programs Asian Public Intellectuals (API) Junior Fellowship and the API Senior Fellowship.

By public intellectuals, the foundation means academics, mass media professionals, artists, NGO activists and others with "moral authority" who are working to shape public opinion and influence in their societies.

The API Senior Fellowship is granted for those aged 35 and above to carry out research and/or professional activities for a period of between one to twelve months. The API Junior Fellowship is granted to people aged under 35, allowing them to carry out research and/or professional activities for a period of between six to 12 months.