ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – Coordinating Minister for the Indonesian Economy, Airlangga Hartarto received Vice President International Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) Professor Helen Bailey at his office, in Jakarta, Tuesday, February 18 2025.
Professor Bailey’s arrival, accompanied by senior QMUL academics, was aimed at exploring collaboration in the fields of education and research as well as discussing plans to establish a branch campus in the Singhasari Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Malang Regency.
Airlangga responded well to the plan for QMUL’s presence in the Singhasari SEZ, although this still requires a comprehensive formulation to ensure that the existence of the campus can have a maximum impact on all educational communities in Indonesia.
“One of the main focuses of the current government is developing education in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This is very important to support the transformation of the Indonesian economy towards one that is more knowledge and innovation based. “I ask QMUL to ensure that there is a close link between the education provided and industry needs,” said Airlangga.
On the other hand, Professor Bailey stated that the purpose of his visit was to share developments and views regarding the establishment of a branch campus in the Singhasari SEZ. It is hoped that the collaboration that will be built will be able to contribute maximally to the development of higher education and research in line with Indonesia’s needs.
“Future collaboration will not only involve the Indonesian Government, but also with private higher education institutions, to improve the quality of education in Indonesia,” said Professor Bailey.
QMUL’s presence in the Singhasari SEZ reflects the Government’s concrete commitment to encouraging the development of the education and innovation ecosystem in Indonesia. This is in line with the Golden Indonesia Vision 2045, which targets Indonesia as a developed country with superior human resources, as well as the Education Asta Cita which focuses on strengthening access, quality, relevance and competitiveness of education to support knowledge and innovation-based economic development.
The Singhasari Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is the first SEZ established to develop the digital economy and education sectors. It is hoped that the development of the Singhasari SEZ will not only become a center for higher education, but will also support the strengthening of the higher education ecosystem in line with the growing needs of Indonesian industry.
Queen Mary University of London itself is a leading university in the UK that has a global reputation in various disciplines, including medicine, law, engineering, social sciences and humanities. This university was one of the first universities to implement a transnational education system located outside the UK.
Currently, QMUL has four branch campuses outside the UK, namely in China, France, Greece and Malta.
At the end of the meeting, both parties agreed to follow up on the establishment of QMUL in the Singhasari SEZ so that it could become a success story regarding collaborative development of higher education in the country. (AT Network)
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