UNISEL OFFERS PLACES TO 200 INDONESIAN STUDENTS

By Mohd Nasir Yusoff

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Universiti Industri Selangor (Industrial
University of Selangor - Unisel) has targeted to take 200 Indonesian students
this year to strengthen its internationalisation programme and support the
government's initiative to enhance ties between the peoples of both countries.

Two Unisel senior officers were in four Indonesian cities -- Jakarta,
Bandung, Palembang and Semarang -- for two weeks in July to promote
opportunities offered by the university in conjunction with the Malaysian higher
education roadshow organised by the Malaysian Embassy.

Unisel marketing, corporate communications and international director Halid
Hasbullah Boestamam said apart from offering the 200 places to students, Unisel
also explored other forms of cooperation such as in the exchange of teachers,
and academic research.

Speaking to Bernama, here, he said Unisel received overwhelming response
from parents and students particularly in Bandung and Palembang, with over 800
serious enquiries received.

During the discussions with school managements, he said, many of them
offered a wider from of cooperation.

"For instance, during our discussion with Sekolah Menengah Agama Al-Azhar 1,
the school management offered a wider from of collaboration, covering six
schools in its network, with student population of over 6,000," he said.

During talks with Sekolah Menengah Kharisma Bangsa in Jakarta, Unisel was
offered to collaborate with a network of seven schools, opening up potentials
reaching thousands of students.

"From the feedback received, we found that parents were very keen to send
their children to pursue overseas education," he said, adding that Malaysia was
among their preferred destinations.

These schools were also keen to send their teaching staff to attend short
courses at Unisel and were willing to accept Unisel students who were doing
their practicals, he said.

Set up in 1999, Unisel currently has over 12,000 students in 28 diploma
courses, 28 bachelor degree courses and 23 post-graduates programmes as well as
preparatory programmes.

The university, which aims to produce graduates tailored to meet the needs
of industry, now operates from its city campus in Shah Alam and main campus in
Batang Berjuntai, in Selangor state.

Halid said many Indonesian schools invited Unisel to give talks on education
opportunities and expressed the hope that Unisel would actively participate in
their programmes this year and next year.

Education Minister-Counsellor at the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta, Dr
Junaidi Abu Bakar praised Unisel's initiatives, saying the move was in line
with the Higher Education Ministry's objectives of making Malaysia a regional
education excellence centre.

"It will not only benefit Unisel in terms of attracting more foreign
students, its positive spin-off will also be felt by the country which currently
houses 10,000 Indonesian students.

"We expect the number to increase by 2,000 each year," he told Bernama.

Junaidi said the market for Malaysian universities in Indonesia was huge
given that there were about a million students leaving secondary school each
year.

For many Indonesian parents, he said, getting their children to pursue
higher education in Malaysia was the obvious choice due to proximity, lower cost
compared to sending them to Europe or the United States, cultural similarities
and the quality of Malaysian education.

"These are facts acknowledged by many parents who wanted their children to
pursue overseas degrees.

"It is now up to the universities in Malaysia to approach these parents and
convince them," he said.

Halid said Unisel was now preparing the draft for the memorandums of
understanding with the schools concerned, and preparing for the incoming of new
intakes from Indonesia.
-- BERNAMA