Indonesia international higher education expansion

Indonesia is pursuing strategies to enhance its higher education sector and national competitiveness through international academic cooperation.

In Jakarta, officials and experts discussed utilizing Joint Degree and Joint Research programs to achieve ‘brain gain’. The goal is to bridge the gap between global talent and national development by creating an ecosystem that supports talent retention and acquisition.

Expanding on these international ties, the Indonesian Embassy in Port Moresby is actively encouraging public universities to establish partnerships with institutions in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Solomon Islands. Arief Kusdwiadnanto, the Education and Cultural Attaché, stated that these collaborations aim to increase the number of students from these nations pursuing higher education in Indonesia. To facilitate this, an Indonesia Education Exhibition is scheduled for late September 2026 in Port Moresby to connect universities with secondary students and government agencies. Efforts include promoting scholarship programs like the Indonesian AID Scholarship (TIAS) and Kemitraan Negara Berkembang (KNB). Currently, approximately 100 students from PNG are enrolled in Indonesian institutions, including Universitas Indonesia and Institut Teknologi Bandung.

Bilateral ties are also expanding with Japan. Universitas Paramadina, alongside Nagasaki Women’s Junior College and AWINA, hosted the ‘Bridges Beyond Borders’ event to strengthen relations through cultural understanding. Additionally, Universitas Indonesia and Tohoku University have held discussions to enhance cooperation in research and student mobility, specifically focusing on interdisciplinary research regarding the social and humanistic perspectives of Artificial Intelligence (AI).