Minister Of Education And Technology Nadiem Makarim Ensures The G20 Meeting "Not Talk Only" But Continues To Real Cooperation

Minister of Education and Technology, Nadiem Anwar Makarim, attended a virtual meeting with ministers from a number of G20 countries in Bali some time ago. (ANTARA/HO- Kemendikbudristek Public Relations)

JAKARTA - Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Mendikbudristek) Nadiem Anwar Makarim believes that the G20 meetings will continue with real cooperation.

"The G20 presidency is a good momentum to strengthen mutual cooperation and realize collaboration with real work," said Nadiem in a written statement quoted by ANTARA, Monday, September 5. During the peak of the G20 education sector in Nusa Dua, Bali on August 31–2 September 2022, there will be a number of bilateral meetings between Indonesia and a number of G20 member countries.

Indonesia, represented by the Ministry of Education and Culture, held bilateral meetings with South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Brazil, India, United Arab Emirates, World Bank, OECD and UNESCO.

In a state of self-isolation due to exposure to COVID-19, Minister of Education and Technology Nadiem Anwar Makarim is still present online to discuss cooperation with ministers of G20 member countries.

"Kemendikbudristek encourages various forms of cooperation at all levels of education, especially in the field of higher education, so that soon we can see an era where our human resources are truly superior," he continued.

At one of the meetings, the Minister of Education and Technology discussed with the Minister of Early Childhood Education and the Australian Minister of Youth, Anne Aly, who discussed Indonesia encouraging both parties to develop and enhance cooperation in the field of higher education.

Such as increasing the number of recipients of the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) Program who will study in Australia, higher education research, apprenticeships, opening up opportunities for matching fund programs with Australian institutions, as well as training to improve the quality of teachers, lecturers and education staff.

Separately, the Minister of Education and Culture also received the Minister of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Hamad M. Al-Sheikh, and the Minister of Education of the United Arab Emirates, Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, along with delegates from both countries.

The Minister of Education and Technology conveyed to the delegations of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates the proposal for cooperation through an equivalent fund scheme for research in the green economy, renewable energy, digital technology for education, health education, and tourism education.

At a bilateral meeting with India as one of the co-troikas of the G20 2022, the Minister of Education and Culture conveyed a message to the Indian Minister of Education, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.

"I am grateful for India's support for the G20 Presidency and we support India's G20 presidency next year," he said.

The Indonesian government expressed interest in India's excellence in technology, science, and engineering, especially introducing coding for elementary school students.

The Government of India offers potential cooperation for training programs in the field of vocational and dual degrees. The parties agreed to follow up the discussion on the draft memorandum of understanding in the field of higher education and hoped that it would be signed in the near future.