Education Malaysia Indonesia Intensifies Student Recruitment Drive

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar JAKARTA, March 23 (Bernama) -- Education Malaysia Indonesia (EMI) expects 20,000 Indonesians to pursue their studies at higher education institutions in Malaysia within the next three to five years. Its director Associate Prof Dr Mior Haris Mior Harun said there were 170,000 foreign students from 162 countries pursuing higher education in Malaysia and, of the total, 7,248 were from Indonesia. Ahead of the border reopening in April, EMI is intensifying promotion activities, strengthening brand strategies as well as bolstering both the private and government engagement. “We’re hoping to be synergised in a good cause programme with the central and provincial government such as the West Nusa Tenggara Governor’s scholarship,” Mior Haris told Bernama. EMI involved in the province’s scholarship programme two years ago, where 500 students placed in several universities in Malaysia are now in the fourth semester. Engagement with private sectors, namely Maybank Indonesia, Malaysia Airlines and Tourism Malaysia to offer scholarships and attractive incentives like student travel programme, will also be continued. Meanwhile, Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) was spearheading the promotion of Malaysia's universities at the recently concluded World Education Expo Indonesia 2022. The agency under Malaysia’s Higher Education Ministry promotes the country as the international education hub of choice and to position Malaysia as the Top 10 education destination. The team, led by its marketing communications and branding division, regional manager, Megat Mohd Samsul Megat Ismail, brought 10 universities to the event in Yogyakarta, Bandung and Jakarta. On EMI and EMGS initiative, Chargé d'affaires of the Malaysian Embassy in Indonesia Adlan Mohd Shaffieq commented this could strengthen Malaysia's position as a favourable international education hub. In fact, the education sector is also another form of diplomacy in strengthening people-to-people links between the two countries, he said. -- BERNAMA