TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - European Union Ambassador for Indonesia Vincent Guerend stated that the number of Indonesians to pursue an education in Europe is relatively smaller compared to other Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.
"This is actually a paradox because Indonesian population is much larger than that of such countries," he said after opening European Higher Education Fair (EHEF) in Kartini Hall, Jakarta, on Saturday, Nov. 4.
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Despite the fact that the number of Indonesian students studying in Europe keeps increasing from 6,300 people in 2016 to around 11,000 people, Guerend considers the figure much lower than that of other countries, even from countries with a smaller area than Indonesia.
"Big countries tend to be less open to the world. But it can also be related to the character of the person or the educational system here," Guerend said.
High studying costs in Europe compared to that of Indonesia, Guerend continued, does not cause Indonesians to not 'go international' since a lot of scholarships are available both from the European countries and the Indonesian government.
He further stated that young Indonesians should be more confident and not be afraid to show their potentials to the world since they have great assets.
ANTARA
