Indonesia aims to increase the number of its students studying in Russia, particularly in Novosibirsk, focusing on STEM fields. This was announced by Indonesia’s Ambassador to Russia, José Antonio Morato Tavares, during a press conference at the TASS news center.
In July 2024, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Konstantin Mogilevsky reported that around 355,000 foreign students were enrolled in Russian universities. For the 2023–2024 academic year, Indonesia was allocated 300 university spots in Russia—nearly double the number from 2021–2022. In October 2024, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced plans to fund scholarships for 20,000 students to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) abroad.
"Education cooperation is a key priority for President Prabowo Subianto. He has a clear plan to send students abroad for STEM education. I know that Russia is a strong hub for scientific and technical education. I hope the number of Indonesian students in Russia, including Novosibirsk, will grow. We are actively working on this," said Ambassador Tavares at the TASS press conference.
Ambassador Tavares traveled to Novosibirsk for the opening of the "Equator’s Necklace" exhibition at the Novosibirsk State Art Museum. The exhibition showcases paintings, graphics, ceramics, and textiles by members of the Russian Academy of Arts, alongside traditional Indonesian woodcraft, including an authentic Indonesian boat.
During the press conference, Vladimir Anisimov, an academic at the Russian Academy of Arts and curator of the exhibition, noted that Russian artists had spent over 20 years working on the islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, and Kalimantan, capturing contemporary Indonesian culture through their art.
The exhibition features 200 selected pieces, including works by People’s Artist of Russia Vitaly Popov and members of the Russian Artists' Union—Gennady Glakhteev, Olga Melnikova, Anna Miloserdova, Roman Usachev, and Natalia Kazakova.
Museum director Ekaterina Boldyreva added that the exhibition will run until March 2 before traveling to other cities. In total, "Equator’s Necklace" will be showcased in 22 museums across the Urals, Siberia, and the Russian Far East, including Nizhny Tagil, Yekaterinburg, Tyumen, Omsk, Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Novokuznetsk, Barnaul, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Chita, Yakutsk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk, Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok, Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk, and Moscow.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Federation Council
Based on TASS materials