UIN Palu teaches Indonesian to six foreign students

Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Datokarama Palu, Central Sulawesi, is teaching Indonesian to six foreign students before they begin their undergraduate studies.

“This step is to facilitate social interaction for the international students during their undergraduate education at UIN Palu,” said UIN Datokarama Rector Professor Lukman Thahir in Palu on Tuesday.

He said the overseas students come from Somalia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Yemen, Thailand and the Philippines, and the campus authorities require all six to become proficient in Indonesian.

The training is being conducted by the Centre for International Relations under the Institute for Research and Community Service, in cooperation with the UIN Datokarama Language Technical Implementation Unit and the Indonesian for Foreign Speakers Programme, at Mahad Aljamiah UIN Datokarama on Tuesday (18/8).

He stressed that the BIPA training represents the campus’s concrete commitment to accelerating the internationalisation of higher education.

“Indonesian is positioned not merely as a medium of classroom communication, but as a tool of cultural diplomacy. On the momentum of the 81st anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia, the Indonesian language is being echoed abroad,” he said.

According to Lukman, the presence of students from six countries is evidence of global trust in UIN Datokarama Palu in providing higher education to create excellent human resources.

“Through teaching Indonesian, we want to equip them not only to succeed academically, but also to become ambassadors of Indonesian culture when they return to their home countries after completing their studies,” he said.

He said language is the main bridge for academic and cultural interaction, so the university wants to ensure all international students feel comfortable and can achieve maximum performance during their studies at UIN Datokarama.

Meanwhile, Head of the UIN Datokarama Centre for International Relations Dr Darlis said the Indonesian language training for new students from six countries runs from 18 August to 10 October 2026.

“During the teaching process, the students are not only honed in Indonesian language skills, but are also introduced to the culture of Central Sulawesi,” he said.

For the training, the university is involving local campus lecturers and BIPA Central Sulawesi to improve the international students’ language skills.

“Specifically for cultural introduction, it will be presented by a team from the Central Sulawesi Province BIPA Programme,” Darlis added.