- Prabowo says Indonesia will develop 10 new medicine and STEM campuses and expand education links with the UK.
- The plan includes UK lecturer exchanges, English-taught programs, and full scholarships for top students, with an intake target of 2028.
- Prabowo frames the initiative as a response to Indonesia’s doctor shortage and a push to raise Indonesian universities’ global rankings.
President Prabowo Subianto has pledged to build 10 new campuses focused on medicine and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), while also pursuing lecturer exchanges with the United Kingdom under a broader education partnership.
Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said the President explored the initiative during a meeting with professors and leaders from 24 leading UK universities at the UK–Indonesia Education Roundtable held at Lancaster House in London on Tuesday (Jan. 20).
“The President wants to establish 10 new campuses in Indonesia, especially in medicine. And for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), he will also build those in Indonesia,” Teddy said, speaking to reporters at London Stansted Airport on Wednesday (Jan. 21).
The roughly two-hour meeting brought together senior academics representing institutions including King’s College London, Imperial College London, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the University of Edinburgh, the London School of Economics, Queen Mary University of London, and other top universities.
Through the cooperation, Prabowo aims to increase the number of Indonesian students studying in the UK and to develop new world-class campuses in Indonesia.
The plan also includes a lecturer exchange program, allowing UK academics to teach at Indonesia’s future STEM and medical campuses.
Teddy said the partnership with leading UK universities is expected to help improve the global standing of Indonesian higher education institutions.
“The UK education minister was there yesterday, and representatives from the Russell Group, top universities. The hope is that Indonesian university rankings can rise to a global level,” Teddy said.
In his remarks at the meeting, Prabowo said Indonesia still faced a shortage of health workers, including doctors and dentists, noting that the country currently produces only around 9,000 doctors per year.
Indonesia, he added, lacks an estimated 140,000 doctors, while demand continues to grow as many physicians approach retirement.
To address the gap, Prabowo said he planned to build 10 new universities focusing on medical education, dentistry, pharmacy and STEM fields.
The President stressed that the institutions would be developed to international standards and would use English as the language of instruction.
He also said admitted students would be selected from top graduates and would receive full government scholarships.
Students would undergo intensive English training before starting classes. The Indonesian government, Prabowo added, is also opening opportunities to work with the British Council, including adopting IELTS standards.
Prabowo also underlined Indonesia’s openness to foreign lecturers and professors, including visiting professor schemes from partner universities, saying the cooperation would bring mutual benefits for education and healthcare development.
The President said he was optimistic preparations could be completed so that the new universities would begin admitting students in 2028.
“And at the beginning of 2028, we can have the first cohort in Indonesia. So the plan is to build an area consisting of these universities, and we must guarantee quality of life, safety and security across the entire campus to make it attractive for foreign lecturers to work in Indonesia,” the President said.
Indonesianpost.com | Antara