Close cooperation in education is a fundamental element of our Comprehensive Partnership with Indonesia.
• In June 2010, President Obama announced a commitment to invest $165 million in higher education collaboration over five years. A key element of the strategic approach will be joint efforts to facilitate self-sustaining partnerships among U.S. and Indonesian institutions, foundations, corporations, universities, and individuals.
• To help jointly achieve the shared goals in higher education, the first 10 students and scholars are studying in each other’s countries this fall under the new Fulbright Indonesia Research, Science and Technology (FIRST) Program, a $15 million commitment over five years to support academic exchange in critical fields that address common challenges, including climate change, food security and public health. The program will expand the Fulbright program in Indonesia, making it one of the largest Fulbright programs in the world.
• In addition, USAID will launch an $88 million, five-year higher education initiative to improve the quality of higher education in Indonesia.
• Over 100 Indonesian high school students began their studies in America this fall through the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program.
• The first expanded cohort of 50 young Indonesians are beginning their studies this fall at U.S. community colleges under the new $12.5 million five-year Community College Initiative in fields important to national development such as agriculture, business, engineering, information technology, and health.
• The U.S. is doubling the number of English Access Microscholarships that will be awarded this year for after-school English classes for disadvantaged 14-18 year-olds. Meanwhile, the first cohort of 17 Americans studied Indonesian in intensive summer institutes in Malang this summer, strengthening their language skills while deepening their understanding and respect for Indonesian society and culture.
• The number of American English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) in Indonesia doubled over the last year. Some of these ETAs will be placed at Islamic boarding schools.
• In early 2011 the U.S. Department of Commerce will bring the largest-ever U.S. government-led delegation of U.S. universities to Indonesia in April 2011. The visit will allow Indonesian students to hear from 60 universities about why they should consider study in the United States and promote greater collaboration between these U.S. universities and Indonesian institutions in scientific research, faculty and student exchanges, and other mutually beneficial projects.
• The U.S. Secretary of Education has invited his Indonesian counterpart to travel to the United States in 2011 for a U.S.-Indonesia Higher Education Summit to advance our cooperation in education.