A 2021 Symposium: UT Opens the Opportunity for Migrant Workers to Pursue their University Education

In order to improve the collaboration of Universitas Terbuka (UT) and Education and Culture Attachés (Atdikbud) On-Duty Overseas, Bureau of Cooperation and Public Relations, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology or Biro Kerja Sama dan Hubungan Masyarakat Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset dan Teknologi (Kemendikbudristek) hosted a meeting in a Symposium program which was held online on Thursday, 13/7/2021. The meeting was intended to discuss the Improvement of the Access to University Education Services for Indonesian Citizens (WNI) Living Overseas.

In his remarks, the UT’s Rector, Prof. Ojat Darojat, M.Bus., Ph.D. greeted 19 representatives of Education and Culture Attachés (Atdikbud) who were present online at such meeting. UT’s Rector expressed his gratitude for the full support that the attachés have extended that encouraged the migrant workers in continuing their education with UT. As many as 2200 UT’s students are registered overseas in 50 countries and 90 cities who took part in the final examination last semester. It shows that the UT’s students are spread all over the world. UT’s Rector hopes that the migrant workers, who have succeeded in their potential personal development by studying with UT, would get the benefits after their home coming to Indonesia.

UT has worked together under memorandums of understanding with the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) and the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) since February 2012 in the effort to improve the overseas access and services through open and distance learning education (PJJ). In order to enhance its services, UT continues to develop information technology based services, namely SRS 5G, online billing system, online bookstore, digital library, tutorial webinar for students and online examination on online-proctoring basis.

Hendarman, as Acting Head of Bureau of Cooperation and Public Relations, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendibudristek), the Republic of Indonesia highly appreciates UT’s accomplishment in human resources development abroad. He added that the attaché’s roles must support the open and distance learning education or PJJ and proactive to facilitate the efforts to increase the migrant workers’ achievement so that they can get access to university education abroad.

Yaya Sutarya, as the Education and Culture Attachés (Atdikbud) of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Beijing, encourages Indonesian migrant workers to enhance their educational capacity through “Ayo Sekolah Lagi” or “Let’s Go To School Again” program. As many as 175,000 migrant workers in Hong Kong are the target of the socialization and introduction of the eternal education, including by encouraging them to study at UT. With this activity, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) incorporated some information on studying at UT in order to encourage the migrant workers to pursue their education.