H.E.Mr. Rauf made these remarks during his maiden visit to AIT on 22
March 2012. “Through your programs, Indonesian students have spread all
over the world, and are carrying out the task of facing global
challenges,” the Ambassador said. He stated that Republic of Indonesia
lays a great emphasis on education and human resources, with 20 per
cent of its budget being earmarked for education. “It is my endeavor to
establish close cooperation with leading institutions and
universities,” he said, adding that AIT helps preparing people in
responding to global issues, particularly on the issue of sustainable
development.
Welcoming the Ambassador, the AIT President, Prof. Said Irandoust
stated that AIT is inspired by the strong commitment of Indonesia to
research, capacity building and human resource development. The role
played by Indonesia in ASEAN, and in the global context, has been
significant, and AIT wishes to strengthen its collaboration with
Indonesia, he said.
The Ambassador stated that he will expedite the formalities related to
the requirements of the new AIT Charter. Indonesia is a signatory to
the new AIT Charter. It had become the fourteenth signatory when it’s
then Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Mohammad Hatta, signed the Charter on 20
January 2011.
Ambassador Rauf added that he would also look into the reestablishment
of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AIT. He evinced interest
in Indonesian students studying in the field of energy.
Prof. Irandoust also mentioned that AIT had a MoU with the Ministry of
Public Works of Indonesia. It has now been suggested that the new MoU
should be signed with the Ministry of National Education.
Forty-eight students from Indonesia are currently enrolled at AIT.
Prof. Irandoust informed the Ambassador that AIT facilitates global
opportunities for its students, and at present, three Indonesian
students from AIT are pursuing their thesis work at the University of
British Columbia in Canada.
Ambassador Rauf was accompanied by Prof. Didik Sulistyanto, Educationa
Attaché, Embassy of Indonesia. Among those who represented AIT at the
meeting included Prof. I.M.Pandey, Vice President for Academic Affairs;
Dr. Nitin Afzulpurkar, Dean, School of Engineering and Technology
(SET); Mr. Curtis S. Chin, former Ambassador and Senior Fellow and
inaugural Executive-in-Residence; and Mr. Olivier Drean, Interim-Head,
External Relations and Communications Office (ERCO).
