UNAIR NEWS – After receiving a visit from the Education Attache and Universities of the French Embassy to Indonesia and Timor Leste on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) received another official visit from foreign partners. This time, the Australian Consulate-General (Consul) Surabaya made a visit to UNAIR. In addition to establishing partnerships, the visit was also to introduce the new Australian Consul-General in Surabaya.
Being held in the Plenary Meeting Room of MERR (C) Campus on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, the honorary visit of the Australian Consul-General in Surabaya, Ms Fiona Hoggart, was welcomed by UNAIR Rector Prof. Mohammad Nasih SE MT Ak and the other leaderships. In his speech, Prof. Nasih said that UNAIR has great credibility as one of the best universities in Indonesia. There are various potential sectors for collaborations between UNAIR and the Australian Government.
“We are greatly honored for the presence of the Australian Consul-General and staff. Hopefully, it will be a great momentum that can strengthen our partnerships,” said Prof. Nasih.
Meanwhile, the Australian Consul-General in Surabaya, Ms. Fiona Hoggart, in her remarks, said that UNAIR as a representative of the best universities in East Java, would be a good partner for Australia. Furthermore, she also asked for support from the UNAIR academic community, especially in terms of education.
“There are many opportunities that can be developed in this collaboration. Such as in education, especially higher education,” said Fiona.
The Australian Embassy Education and Research Counselor, Mr. Han Xiao Zhang, was also present at the discussion. In his presentation, Han said that educational collaborations can be developed between UNAIR and Australia, such as student mobility, research, and student exchange. For him, Indonesia is a very important partner for Australia.
The discussion, moderated by the Director of Airlangga Global Engagement (AGE), Iman Harymawan, also discussed Australian government regulations after the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the embassy, Australia is starting to open borders and loosen restrictions, it is a great opportunity for students and educators from Indonesia who want to study in Australia.
In the end, Iman said that the Governor of East Java, Khofifah Indar Parawansa, who also serves as the Head of the UNAIR Alumni Association, is very supportive of the partnerships between Indonesia-Australia.
“After this, we will continue to keep in touch with Han and Lauren (Deputy Consul General for trade and investment, ed ). We hope that this meeting will strengthen ties between us,” concluded Iman.
Author: Afrizal Naufal Ghani
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
