Indonesia-Malaysia Sign 10 Cooperation Agreements In The Education Sector

JAKARTA - Indonesia and Malaysia signed 10 memorandums of understanding (MoU), agreement (MoA), and cooperation (MoC) in the field of higher education which will involve a number of institutions, associations, and universities from both countries.

"Today, I think we need to improve relations to a better stage, especially in the higher education sector," said Malaysian Higher Education Minister Dato Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin on the sidelines of a signing ceremony in Jakarta, Tuesday, quoted by Antara.

Nordin attended the signing ceremony on his first visit to Indonesia as Minister of Higher Education.

The visit was made to provide support for various new collaborations achieved between Indonesian and Malaysian universities.

Nordin said that the relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia in the field of higher education is nothing new. The 10 agreed cooperations are intended to further strengthen relations between the two countries in this field.

The ten collaborations include cooperation between the University of Technology Malaysia (UTM) and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) to promote research and development, as well as cooperation in increasing 17 sustainable development agendas (SDGs) between the National Council of Professors (Majlis Professor of State /MPN) and the Indonesian Professors Forum (FGBI).

Furthermore, the collaboration between the Universitas Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and PT Tracol Asia to open SME Offshore Center in Jakarta, SMEs and Padjadjaran University resulted in 250 doctoral graduates in the medical field, and SMEs with the University of Indonesian Education resulted in 3 thousand undergraduates and graduates.

In addition, cooperation has also been established between the Northern University Malaysia (North Malaysian University / UUM) and Raden Fatah State Islamic University (UIN) Palembang, UUM and UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya, as well as between the University of Malaya (UM) and the State University of Malang (UNM) in the field of science and human resources.

Meanwhile, the collaboration between the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) and the University of Muhammadiyah North Sumatra (UMSU) aims to improve academic feasibility, while cooperation between the National Energy University (UNITEN) and the PLN Institute of Technology seeks to realize international strategic initiatives, which focus on the energy sector.

Meanwhile, the Director General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia Prof. Ir. Nizam hopes that this collaboration can further strengthen friendly relations between the two countries.

He also hopes that cooperation in higher education can support economic growth between the two countries through human development and innovation considering that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is currently the center of global economic growth.

"It is very important for us to build this economic growth through human development and innovation. So that this higher education cooperation will provide enormous benefits and impacts for ASEAN's progress as a community," he said.