Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry has sent off 358 awardeesof the Indonesia Maju Scholarship (BIM) for the Overseas Batch II.”With this scholarship, you have a great responsibility to optimize the opportunities and return to the country armed with increased knowledge and skills,” the ministry’s Acting Head of the National Achievement Center (Puspresnas), Hendarman, said in a statement received here on Sunday. The BIMawardeesare in the bachelor’s degree (S1) and master’s degree (S2) programs, and were officially released after a briefing that took place on August 13-19 in Jakarta. “Happy adventure on your new academic and professional journey. Continue to move forward for Advanced Indonesia,” Hendarman said. Hendarman advised the students to make the best use of their time while studying abroad and return to the country to apply the knowledge gained for the development of the country. “Connect with fellow students from different parts of the world and learn new cultures and knowledge. You are agents of change who will help Indonesia thrive and compete on the global stage,” he said. He also pushed the students to continue to inspire, innovate, and cause a positive impact on Indonesian society and the country. One of the awardees, Rikva Abrianna Napitupulu, from public high school SMAN 2 of South Tangerang, conveyed her plan to contribute to Indonesia when she returns to the country. “I focus (study) on structural transportation and development. I want to gain the knowledge and will share it with Indonesia to be more advanced,” Napitupulu, who was accepted at the University of California, said. mong others, the BIM Overseas Batch II recipients will study at the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, Nanyang Technological University, Monash University, and the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

Source: Antara News Agency