Second Deputy Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Stella Christie (centre) waving as she stands next to Deputy Tourism Minister Ni Luh Enik Ernawati (right) and Second Deputy Home Minister Ribka Haluk (left) during the inauguration of deputy ministers for Prabowo's Red and White Cabinet at the State Palace in Jakarta on Oct 21, 2024. - Antara This article was published in thejakartapost.com with the title "". Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2024/12/14/deputy-higher-education-minister-under-scrutiny-after-study-tip-session.html. Download The Jakarta Post app for easier and faster news access: Android: http://bit.ly/tjp-android iOS: http://bit.ly/tjp-ios
JAKARTA: Second Deputy Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Stella Christie has come in for public criticism after hosting a tip-sharing session on getting into foreign universities, a move seen by many as inappropriate given that she should be focused more on improving the quality of universities at home.
The newly established ministry streamed through its official YouTube channel on Tuesday a one and a half hour long video in which Stella, a Harvard graduate and also a professor at Tsinghua University in China, presented dozens of slides containing advice on how to study abroad.
Tips were shared on a wide array of issues from financial planning, college application essay writing, to customised strategies for entering Ivy League universities.
Stella also frequently looked back at her experiences as both a student and a lecturer at top international universities.
“I was once you. If I can do it, so can you,” she emphasised at the beginning of her presentation. The video swiftly drew a mixed public reaction, with some finding it useful, and others saying it was wrong for a high-ranking official at the higher education ministry to promote overseas education.
Among the most popular sentiments shared online was that the ministry should instead focus its energy on improving the quality of local universities and increasing their competitiveness globally.
Local universities have struggled in the past decades to excel on the international stage, with the QS World University Rankings 2025 placing the University of Indonesia (UI) at 206th globally. Malaysia’s University of Malaya, by comparison, is ranked 60th, while the National University of Singapore is ranked eighth in the world.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) data from last year showed nearly 56,000 Indonesian students went abroad to study, which marks a 21 per cent increase since 2014 and the figure is expected to increase each year.
Although there is no official data on foreign students in the country, various sources cite the number at around 3,800 in 2021, or fewer than 1 per cent of the recorded university students nationwide.
The low competitiveness of Indonesian universities has previously been attributed by analysts to poor research qualities, and insufficient human resources and facilities.
Against this backdrop, criticism toward Stella's presentation was prevalent online, with many agreeing that it was as if the ministry had given up on local universities. R
esponding to the slew of criticism, the ministry’s acting secretary-general Togar Magihut Simatupang told reporters on Wednesday that Stella’s presentation was purely educational in nature, arguing that it was the government’s duty to inform its citizens and provide them with the best opportunities.
“It was within her capacity and responsibility to educate the public, especially the youth, to give them inclusive academic opportunities to study whether within or outside the country,” Togar said, as quoted by kompas.com.
The 45-year-old professor has spent the past decades living abroad and teaching cognitive science at some of the world’s most prestigious universities, the latest being Beijing’s Tsinghua University.
Education expert Ina Liem said the deputy minister’s presentation had not breached any ethical codes on national education, but the public was right to call out the mixed messaging of the ministry.
“For a freshly formed ministry, they have been making a lot of misstatements, which is worrying because it remains unclear where they are going,” Ina told The Jakarta Post recently.
“Usually, [newly appointed high-ranking officials] would spend some time listening and empathising before doing anything.
The previous education minister, for example, spent some time studying the problems and visiting on the ground before [issuing policies],” she continued.
Last month, the ministry also drew national headlines when its minister, Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro, said that recipients of the nation’s flagship scholarship programme named the Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) should no longer be required to return to Indonesia.
The statement sparked a lively public discourse, with many expressing disapproval given that the LPDP is funded by taxpayers and that recipients should come back to serve the country’s best interests.
“People will connect the dots between the recent presentation and the LPDP brouhaha, and it's reasonable for the public to feel frustrated,” Ina continued.
Meanwhile, during his presidential campaign, new President Prabowo Subianto had pledged to grant an additional 20,000 international scholarships, arguing that the country needed more overseas-educated professionals, especially in the science and medical sectors to meet the country’s needs. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
