Today, for example, the government is working on seven sectors, such as new and renewable energy, food security and maritime affairs. “However, the grand design for basic and higher education that is in line with the development scheme is still vague,” Muchlis said in Jakarta on Monday (7/5/2018).
The education sector, including universities, ultimately takes care of human resources, including brilliant talents, in its own way. Some universities give attention to the brilliant talents and some don’t.
Muchlis hopes ministries and institutions jointly implement well-matched development strategies. Thus, Indonesia’s talents, including Olympic champions, could be taken care of at home well. The industry, business or academics and bureaucracy must be prepared to accommodate the country’s best talents.
“For example, when the Olympians are still studying and researching, private companies or government institutions must have a prepared job. The lecturers provide inspiration and ensure they are on the right track,” Muchlis said.
Surabaya State University sociologist and rector Warsono said brilliant talents like international Olympic champions should be taken care of and utilized to drive the nation forward. If the scheme is clear, universities could manage those brilliant talents well.
Muchlis agreed there must be special treatment for the brilliant talents. Their passion and talent needs to be developed when they enroll at universities. They disagreed with the current policy in which the Olympians may only get a government scholarship at a local state university if they study the major of what they won during the Olympics.
“They should be given freedom to choose the field of study as long as it is within the priority of national development. They do not have to study in Indonesia.”
The current policy states Olympic champions may get a scholarship if they opt for undergraduate studies in Indonesia and select a major similar to the one they won during the Olympics. This policy is seen as not attractive enough.
Medan’s SMA Sutomo 1 high school principal Khoe Tjok Tjin said his students who won international Olympics mostly continued their studies at universities overseas in places such as the United States, Korea and Singapore. The universities overseas mostly allow for freedom and attractive scholarship offers. Jakarta’s SMAK 1 Penabur high school principal Endang Setyowati said the same thing.
In a previous case, there was a student who got an offer to enroll at a state university. But then he won a gold medal in astronomy. After winning, he was offered a scholarship from Nanyang Technological University (NTU). That student chose NTU.
Ironic
Indonesia Diaspora Network-United (IDN-U) president Herry S. Utomo said it was time for the government to take back the best talents from overseas. The smart talents, such as Olympic champions, must be considered crucial because they are the engine of development. “What is happening now is ironic. We need great human resources for development, but we cannot manage the brilliant talents that we have,” Herry said.
Herry said if all levels from ministries to universities have political will, Indonesia could manage the brilliant talents. “That is why we need to build the system. We the diaspora are ready to help and prepare the system,” said the biotechnology professor at Louisiana State University in the US.
In the US, Herry said, there were more than 80 professors from Indonesia that were active at 70 universities. Researchers from Indonesia that assist the professors may reach 600 people. Outside the campus, there are hundreds of Indonesians with master’s degree who work at big companies.
The diaspora can function as pipes that channel knowledge and technology to Indonesia. “They can be called home as long as they are given challenges and clear directions,” he said.
He added Indonesia would be disadvantaged if it did not take care of its best talents because other countries would do. At present, he said, advanced countries are aware of the fact that the great talents are crucial component to drive the engine of development. They fight each other to get the best talents. It is what is now being done by Singapore.
Politics of development
Like other advanced countries, Singapore is very serious in absorbing and managing talents from across the globe through education. The country puts education as part of its state development politics.
Quoting a paper titled “Mobility and Desire: International Students and Asian Regionalism in Aspirational Singapore” (in Koh & Chong, 2014), since 1998, Singapore has implemented Singapore’s Global Schoolhouse program which aims to, first, drive the education sector as an engine of economic growth; second, develop manpower capabilities relevant to the industry; and third, pull in, develop and hold onto talents for economic development.
Under that policy, universities like the National University of Singapore (NUS) play an important role in accumulating talents. That is why Singapore is aggressively recruiting the best talents from across the world, including China, India, Malaysia and Indonesia. According to the paper, in 2012, around 84,000 international students were registered at various education institutions.
To attract foreign students, the Singapore government provides full scholarships, school fee grants or school loans. As a result, foreign students work at Singaporean companies in the city-state or in places across the globe.
Nuri, an alumnus of NUS, said she did not only receive a living cost scholarship of SGD1,100 to 1,350 per month, but NUS also covered accommodation and other fees.
“The student card issued by the immigration office was like a visa. We got facilities like those of a permanent resident. We got discounted prices. We needed only to tap in the passport at Changi to enter Singapore. When we returned to Jakarta, we had to lineup for immigration clearance. How could we not be happy?”
Nuri, who has finished public policy studies, got a scholarship that did not require her to work at a Singaporean company for a certain period of time. She chose to build a career in Indonesia. “Although there was not contract or specific obligation, the alumni are still managed by NUS. We are part of the network. Sometimes we are offered a job or activity. Through such a method, the alumni could serve as the PR of Singapore. There is always a benefit for Singapore,” Nuri said.
(DNE/WSI/JAL/SIE)
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