Indonesia: Dispute Over Foreign Students

David Jardine
An inter-ministerial battle has broken out over the number of foreign students taking up places in the country’s university medical faculties. The row involves the Ministry of National Education and the Heath Ministry with the Health Minister claiming the number of foreign medical students disadvantages Indonesians.
Siti Fadilah Supari is no stranger to controversy as it was she who refused to participate in international research into the H5N1 bird flu virus by blocking the release of tissue from Indonesian virus fatalities. She claimed at the time that the only beneficiaries would the big pharmaceutical firms.
In her latest intervention, Supari claimed the number of foreign medical students was disadvantageous to Indonesians. She has urged universities admitting foreign students to review their policies so more places are available for local would-be medics.
Full report on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0076 17 May 2009