UK colleges offer help amid crisis

UK colleges offer help amid crisis

JAKARTA (JP): At least 33 British universities and colleges
are offering help to Indonesian students intending to study
overseas on how to beat the monetary crisis, a British Council
executive said yesterday.

Geoff Evans, senior consultant for education and training,
said a delegation of the 33 education institutions was scheduled
to arrive in Indonesia next month to explain about study in
England.

"The explanation is aimed to help new students avoid any
problems caused by the current crisis," Evans said in a
statement.

He said the help offered by the universities and colleges
included ways to facilitate tuition payments, by paying in
installments, and details of low-cost accommodation and
scholarships.

The University of Nottingham, for example, will offer a
package of aid worth US$1 million to help students from countries
facing the monetary crisis, he said.

Heriot-Watt University decided not to increase its tuition
fees for Indonesian students, while the University of Aberdeen
will be offering discounts on its tuition fees, the statement
continued.

"We strive to help the students and new students to finish
their studies amid the crisis," Patrick O'Forrel of Heriot-Watt
University said.

The statement said other universities which were also offering
help to existing and new students included Warwick, Birmingham
and Hertfordshire.

The delegation of the British education institutions is also
to hold an education exhibition in Surabaya, Jakarta, Bandung and
Medan. (jun)