Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi emphasized Education for All during her visit to UMY
Dra. Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi, LL.M., Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, visited Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta on Friday (29/12). During her visit, she engaged in a sharing session with international students, with a particular focus on students from Afghanistan enrolled at UMY. 11 Afghan students are awarded scholarships in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (MoFA Indonesia) and PT Adaro Energy Indonesia to pursue master’s degrees at UMY.
In his opening remarks, the Vice-Chair of the Muhammadiyah Council for Higher Education Research and Development (CHERD), Prof. Dr. Achmad Nurmandi, M.Sc., expressed his appreciation and emphasized Muhammadiyah’s contribution to education: “As the largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah is constantly striving to implement and promote Islamic values in education in an effort to improve the quality of education.”
During the sharing session, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Dra. Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi, LL.M., emphasized the importance of South-South cooperation and the role of women in the process of national development. “Education for women is a key to a brighter future for their country, including the Afghan women and girls.”
Furthermore, Retno expressed several aspirations for the International Students at UMY while highlighting the importance of being an agent of change, “You have to promise to yourself that you will become the agent of education, peace, tolerance, and collaboration when you come back to your country.”
In addition to the individuals mentioned above, the following MoFA Indonesia representatives were also in attendance: the Secretary-General Cecep Herawan, Director for South and Central Asian Affairs Y. Jatmiko Heru Prasetyo, Director General for Information and Public Diplomacy Siti Nugraha Mauludiah, Spokesperson & Special Adviser Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, and Second Secretary Baskoro Pramadani.
Alongside the MoFA Indonesia representatives, the Commissioner of PT. Adaro Energy Indonesia Budi Bowoleksono, Head of Yayasan Bangun Negeri (YABN) Okty Damayanti, and President Director of the Indonesian Agency for International Development (Indonesian AID) Tormarbulang Lumbantobing were also in attendance.
It is anticipated that this event will serve as a forum for dialogue and creating solutions concerning the empowerment of education for all genders and the enhancement of educational quality.