Indonesia Topics

Architect Sandra Angelia was crowned Miss Indonesia 2008 in a glamorous event Wednesday night at the Jakarta Convention Center, Central Jakarta.

The 22-year-old graduate of the University of Western Australia, Perth, will also be the country’s representative in the Miss World pageant this September.

Sandra represented East Java in the Miss Indonesia contest.

Dressed in a green Harry Darsono gown, she charmed the audience and members of the jury by confidently saying she would first improve legal enforcement if she was appointed as the country’s leader.

“After improving law enforcement, the education sector would be my next priority because I want poor children to be able to get the education they deserve,” she said.

Sandra will prepare for the Miss World pageant by increasing her knowledge of the country’s history and tourism as well as improving her English language skills. (The Jakarta Post)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - More than 150 academics, educational experts and professionals are participating in an education seminar hosted by the Australian Embassy here on Thursday to discuss current and future challenges in the education sector.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Bill Farmer, opened the seminar and welcomed the cooperation between Australian and Indonesian education practitioners.

“Australia and Indonesia have a long tradition of academic and research collaboration and I am pleased to be able to support the sharing of expertise between Australian and Indonesian universities at this seminar today,” said Farmer.

Senior representatives from Australian`s La Trobe University delivered presentations on current issues and challenges for education and language in today`s globalised world.

“The current widespread interest in developing expertise in English and other languages alongside the national language and local languages in Indonesia make a focus on this topic very timely,” said Dr Lynda Yates, Associate Dean (International), La Trobe University.

“Recently we have seen worldwide trends towards bilingual education in an effort to keep up with the communication needs of globalization,” said Yates.

Meanwhile Professor Vaughan Prain, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Education, outlined the latest understandings of how students learn and implications for effective classroom teaching.

Australian alumnus Dr James Riady, CEO of Lippo Group and founder of Pelita Harapan Educational Foundation, was also a keynote speaker at the seminar.

Dr Riady was presented with the Australian Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship in February 2008.

The seminar was organized by Australian Education International and is part of a regular seminar series presented throughout the year. (Antara)