Indonesia and Saudi Arabia Strengthen Higher Education Cooperation

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Indonesia’s Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Brian Yuliarto, has expressed a strong commitment to enhancing cooperation in the higher education sector between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

“We are committed to expanding the scope of cooperation between universities in Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, aiming to deepen our collaboration,” Yuliarto stated in an official release from his office on Thursday.

The statement followed his meeting with Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Indonesia, ASEAN, and Timor-Leste, Faisal Abdullah H. Amodi, in Jakarta on Wednesday. During the meeting, Yuliarto outlined plans for various collaborative initiatives, including academic partnerships and mutually beneficial research projects.

Drawing from his own experience as a researcher, Yuliarto shared details of his collaboration with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a prestigious institution in Saudi Arabia. He emphasized the need for more joint research projects between Indonesian professors and leading universities in the Gulf state.

“We are expecting more partnerships to be established between Indonesian professors and prominent universities in Saudi Arabia, fostering further academic and research collaborations,” he remarked.

Yuliarto also disclosed his ministry’s plan to reconvene with the Saudi Arabian government after Eid al-Fitr to finalize concrete cooperation initiatives. He noted that Indonesian university rectors would be involved in these discussions to facilitate institutional partnerships.

Ambassador Amodi welcomed the initiative, recognizing the significant opportunities for both nations to collaborate in the fields of higher education, science, and technology. He acknowledged the presence of many Indonesian students pursuing higher education in Saudi Arabia and expressed optimism that more Indonesian universities would receive accreditation from Saudi authorities. Such recognition, he noted, would encourage Saudi students to study in Indonesia.

The ambassador further advocated for the establishment of collaborative partnerships between leading universities from both countries, reinforcing the commitment to educational and scientific cooperation between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.