In October 2018 the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (RISTEKDIKTI , the Ministry) signed a regulation paving the way for the establishment of international branch campuses (IBC) in Indonesia.

The October 2018 regulation set the following criteria that was to be considered by the Ministry when approving establishment of international branch campuses in Indonesia:

• the IBC must be located in a special economic zone (SEZ)

• the foreign university must be ranked in the top 200 universities in the world

• the IBC must be a non-profit-based institution

• the IBC must collaborate with Indonesian universities

• the IBC must offer at least two study programmes

• the IBC must offer programmes identified as a priority area for the state

This regulation indicates the Indonesian government’s commitment to expand internationalisation of the Higher Education system in Indonesia. On 10 February 2020, Monash University announced that they will establish a postgraduate campus in Greater Jakarta area, Indonesia.

Monash University in Indonesia will begin short executive programmes later this year and plan to have the first intake of Masters students for quarter four of 2021. Students of Monash Indonesia will be awarded a Monash University degree and there will be opportunities for cross campus collaboration for research purposes and mobility in education.

Indonesia Minister for Education and Culture, Nadiem Makarim, said, “I am very pleased Monash University will establish a branch campus in Indonesia. This will help accelerate the strengthening of our education system and deepen the social, economic and technological links between Australia and Indonesia.”

Source:

The Jakarta Post

Monash University article

Commentary:

One of the Indonesian government’s priorities is human resource development. In order to achieve this priority, the government encourage internationalisation and collaborations between local universities and overseas universities. This IBC approval sends a clear message that Indonesia is opening up the education sector and is actively encouraging international partnerships.

Monash University has been actively engaged with the Indonesian market since 1961. In 2016, Monash University opened the Monash Indonesia Representative Office (MIRO). MIRO has supported Monash to achieve increased bilateral collaboration and brought to life exciting, new projects across education and research agendas.

According to bisnis.com, Monash University is one of the favourite Australian universities for Indonesians. This long-term investment is expected to engage a higher number of potential Indonesian students who cannot afford to study in Australia, but they can now avail the option of securing an Australian degree while enrolled at Monash Indonesia.