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Joint Statement of Participants
2005 Indonesia-USA Bilateral Forum
International Partnerships in Higher Education: Future Directions

University of Indonesia
March 17-18, 2005

Preamble

Representatives of the academic communities of Indonesia and the United States met in Jakarta on March 17 and 18, 2005 under the auspices of the Ministry of National Education and the University of Indonesia. Participants from Indonesia represented 57 universities and other tertiary institutions and included senior officials of the Government of Indonesia. United States participants included representatives from 17 universities and colleges, 10 foundations and academic organizations, and the United States-Indonesia Society (USINDO). Representatives from the international educational community in Indonesia included AMINEF/Fulbright, Netherlands Education Centre, DAAD, EduFrance, the British Council, and representatives from Japan and Australia (IDP/AEC/IALF).

The organizing committee on the Indonesian side included the Directorate General of Higher Education from the Ministry of National Education, Mr. Harris Iskandar from the Education and Cultural division of the Indonesian Embassy in the U.S., Ms. Evi Fitriani from the International Studies Office of the University of Indonesia and Ms. Irid Agoes from the Indonesian International Education Foundation, while a Contact Group, convened by USINDO, managed conference preparations and substantive preparations on the U.S. side. The work and participation of the U.S. Contact Group was generously supported by a grant from The Henry Luce Foundation which was also represented at the Jakarta conference.

The purpose of the second bilateral conference was to discuss specific proposals and priorities for Indonesian-U.S. cooperation in higher education, including university linkages, academic exchanges, teacher training, English language and academic skills preparation, and modalities for attracting government, multilateral and other donor support for the priority programs proposed by the Indonesian universities.

Background

The first conference of the “Indonesia-United States Partnership for International Education” was held in Washington, D.C. on April 28-30, 2004 under the sponsorship of His Excellency Soemadi Brotodiningrat and the Embassy of Indonesia. Professor Satryo Brodjonegoro, Director General of Higher Education of the Ministry of National Education explained that his objective is to send 1000 scholars per year to study in the United States in order to enlarge the number of Ph.D. degree holders, now estimated at 5000 out of Indonesia’s population of approximately 240 million. Professor Satryo presented the Ministry of National Education’s plan for the decentralization of authority over Indonesian universities. Representatives of 30 state, private and Islamic universities and tertiary institutions attended the first conference, along with representatives of 20 U.S. institutions.

For many Indonesian institutions/educators, teacher education was a top priority in addition to English language training and university management. Some proposals were made for specific forms of cooperation in establishing multidisciplinary centers of excellence and upgrading specific faculties in Indonesian universities. On the U.S. side, various forms of cooperation were discussed and facilitative assistance through USAID and State Department Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA) programs was identified.

Conferees agreed to meet in Indonesia in early 2005 to discuss further specific priorities and proposals of Indonesian universities, proposals for twinning and other collaborative arrangements, and pursue lines of inquiry regarding advanced English language training, academic skills enhancement for advanced study abroad, admission requirements, and funding possibilities for expanded exchange and scholarship programs.

Second Conference

At the second conference in Jakarta on March 17-18, 2005, Indonesian educators identified specific needs of their individual institutions and brought forward specific proposals for discrete cooperative programs.

Director General Satryo Brodjonegoro described policies of the Ministry of National Education. He stressed that cooperation should be based on mutual benefit and equality of partners. Programs should be fully accountable. He listed several cooperative formats that would be of interest to Indonesians. These include jointly managed programs, twinning programs, dual-degree programs, joint research, exchange of students and faculty, credit-earning activities and credit transfers, joint publications, resource sharing, joint seminars and conferences, assistance and supervision, and community development. He noted that cooperation should only be conducted with accredited institutions. He also mentioned staff exchanges noting that staff must be master degree holders at a minimum, must have a minimum of five years experience and be fluent in English. He also raised the possibility of the establishment of foreign educational institutions in Indonesia. He said such organizations should comply with existing regulations, should be jointly owned and managed by Indonesian and foreign institutions and should be bilingual with hybrid curricula conforming to international standards.

Professor Karl Jackson of the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University described a Presidential Scholars Initiative to dramatically increase the number of Indonesian Ph.D. scholars. His proposal would provide funding for 400 Indonesian Ph.D. holders to staff 40 centers of excellence to be established at selected Indonesian universities.

Both the U.S. and Indonesian governments would be committed to finding or funding the required amounts. The anticipated total cost of the Presidential Scholars Initiative, is approximately $US135 million for seven years.
Candidates for the Presidential Scholars program would be selected through a competitive process and priority for participation would be in those areas identified by the Indonesian public and private universities themselves. It was further agreed that Presidential Scholars would be required to work for their home institutions after returning from abroad. Recipient institutions should give emphasis to provide pre- and post-matriculation assistance to enhance the likelihood of success of these Presidential Scholars.

Suzanne E. Siskel of Ford Foundation Representative Office for Indonesia described challenges and opportunities for enhancement of the role and quality of higher education in Indonesia. Since the 1950s her institution has supported higher education systems and institutions in the United States and overseas by advancing higher education policy, supporting studies, reports and special commissions, and strengthening strategic fields of inquiry and training within higher education. She focused on the social sciences which are chronically under appreciated and under funded, compounded by the tendency to see support for social sciences and other fields in the form of discrete projects rather than sustainable institutional programs that can help to transform teaching and research to enhance the overall quality of scholarship. In more general level she also stressed that increasing investment and system-wide reforms in higher education are required to expand educational opportunities in Indonesia.

Participants also acknowledged existing cooperative programs and discussions underway with various U.S. institutions. It was agreed by both sides that international partnerships offer various opportunities for cooperation. There was general agreement on the need to move towards increased cooperation, including cross-recognition of course work performed in partner institutions, collaborative research, and more extensive faculty exchanges in selected disciplines or multidisciplinary programs.

Partnership representatives discussed successful models of international cooperation. Of note were the following ongoing models of university-level assistance:

Texas A&M University and the Institut Pertanian Bogor in the SEAFAST Center for Cooperative and Agricultural Programs
Islamic State University and Ohio University Interreligious Dialogue
University of Indonesia’s wide-ranging cooperative partnerships since 1976

The rector of Syiah Kuala University Prof. Dr. Abdi A. Wahab described the devastation in Aceh province of the tsunami in December 26, 2004 in particular the losses at Syiah Kuala University: 111 lecturers of 1,400 are dead or missing; approximately 100 staff; over 1,000 students lost of a total enrollment of 16,500 and another 9,000 students who lost housing or family members. In addition more than 500 houses were lost, 35 vehicles and additional damage to buildings, the library and laboratories.

The needed assistance includes Rp. 5.4 billion in financial assistance for financial tuitions, guest lecturers and operational support. Also needed are 600 tents, 521 permanent buildings, 6 dormitories. He listed as further needs scholarships for 50 Ph.D. programs, 150 masters programs, and 10000 undergraduate programs. He also listed needs for short term training, equipment including computers and printers, and life skill counseling.

English language competence and academic skills training were the focus of a summary paper prepared by Ms. Wendy Gaylord of Indiana University. The paper concluded that at least one to two years of English language and academic skills training in-country will generally be required before successful post-graduate matriculation abroad.

The conferees identified four special initiatives to be pursued, within the extent of their capabilities, in the year ahead:

1. Presidential Scholars Initiative

The Presidential Scholars program as proposed is described on page two. The final nature of the program will be developed by the two sides.

2. Teacher Education

Participants in the 2005 bilateral forum will develop plans for Indonesia/U.S. teacher education collaboration so that major funding can be sought to support the initiative. High priority teacher education needs identified at the 2005 forum include:
revise preservice teacher education curricula and programs
strengthen university/school/local government linkages
develop university programs for inservice teachers in order to institutionally link preservice and inservice teacher preparation
provide domestic and overseas graduate degree and short-term professional development programs for Indonesian teacher educators
increase the professionalism of teachers, including developing professional standards for teachers and national teacher/teacher educator professional associations
engage in collaborative research that informs improvement in teacher education and teaching and learning in schools
strengthen information communication technology infrastructure to better link Indonesian teacher education institutions with universities abroad and provide training in its use for teaching and learning
create a resource network for excellence in teacher education
establish collaboration among U.S. and Indonesian teacher educators and universities in all of the above

3. University Management and Finance

University management continues to be a focus of concern. Technical assistance is needed across a broad range of issues, some of which are occasioned by devolution and reductions in central government support. Special attention must be paid to the requirements for fund-raising and fund-raising strategies.
4. Educational Technology

The modernization of the technological base of higher education in Indonesia is indispensable. Conferees will work to define a set of approaches to incorporate leading-edge technology into Indonesian university-level education, including the following:
Internet and intra-net access, on an affordable basis, for all tertiary level institutions.
Video- and tele-conferencing capabilities to foster the development of overseas contacts for Indonesian tertiary institutions.
Internet-based applications to facilitate university-level course work, distance learning and administration.

Institutional Arrangements

Indonesian and U.S. participants agreed on the eventual need to establish a bilateral Partnership Council to monitor progress of the proposal made at the conference, including The Presidential Scholars Initiative, individual collaborative arrangements, and specific training initiatives. The participants also agreed that a standing institution is urgently needed, to be the locus of ongoing contacts and the facilitator of further collaboration.

The all-important issue of funding was discussed by the conference participants. It was agreed that both sides would press for additional governmental funding to support the collaborative arrangements in higher education, as well as the Presidential Scholars Initiative.

The next step, until the Partnership Council is formed and a supporting institution is in place, will be to work on the agreed initiatives will by binational working groups. They will report to a Steering Group consisting of representatives from both sides. The Steering Group will be responsible for communicating with institutions on each side in a timely fashion and providing status reports on the follow-up work.

Information Sharing

Presentations and discussion at both the Washington and Jakarta conferences indicated a strong need for open information sharing among institutions of higher education on both sides, as well as with foundations, government agencies and other interested organizations. It was agreed to pursue two initiatives in the information field:

(1) Create robust Internet contact lists to reach as many institutions as possible that can contribute to strengthening U.S.-Indonesian relations in higher education. This network would be the primary means of coordinating follow-up actions on initiatives resulting from this conference, as well as to facilitate cross-communications.

(2) Create an interactive web site to reflect the work of the higher education partnership, to track actions on initiatives emanating from the Washington and Jakarta conferences, and to provide a “bulletin board” for matching project and partnership opportunities with institutions on both sides. This web site will be developed within the next year.

Conclusion

Recognizing the importance of the promotion of excellence in higher education to Indonesia’s future, Indonesian and U.S. participants pledged their best efforts to pursue the following objectives:
Increase the number of Indonesian Ph.D. degree holders;
Establish additional centers of excellence and multidisciplinary programs for post-graduate study and research;
Upgrade university faculties pursuant to the priorities of the Indonesian universities themselves;
Establish a Presidential Scholars Initiative at the earliest possible time with sustainable funding sources;
Expand collaborative arrangements, exchanges and Indonesia-based degree programs;
Help to reconstruct tertiary institutions in Aceh;
Create an institutional mechanism to support the above initiatives;
Consider holding the next bilateral meeting two years hence.