goodmorningpapua.com – Many Papuan students have good reputations in the US, including Papuan students studying in the US through Special Autonomy scholarships. This good news was conveyed by the Education and Culture Attache of the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC, USA, Popy Rufaidah, in a public discussion held by APS on 3 September 2022.
The Papuan students who study in the US through the Special Autonomy scholarship, said Popy, are spread across various colleges in the US. They have studied at Seattle University, Washington DC, Colorado State University, American University, Boston and others according to their own interests and fields. The achievements of Papuan students in Uncle Sam’s country are no less great than other students from around the world.
Popy emphasized that to maintain this achievement in the US is not easy, because these students are not only competing with US students but with students from various countries such as Germany, China, France, India and others. These Papuan students, continued Popy, were placed in well-known universities in the US, and they had to compete fiercely in class to maintain their achievements.
Popy further reported that the Papuan students with the Otsus scholarship had good confidence, were fluent in English, had good achievements with academics score above average, and some even became teaching assistants. There are also those who graduated on time and returned to Papua and currently there are those who are preparing to get LPDP scholarships and other scholarships. These students grew up in a good educational environment and climate that boosted their seriousness in learning.
“I see Otsus students have very good seriousness. The seriousness of the Special Autonomy students is of course because they are placed in a good environment. They study in good schools where the school has a dormitory mechanism, has a grade reporting system, also has a program to monitor their score, and if they have a language barrier, they are assisted by a learning center”, explained Popy.
In addition to having good achievements, the students with the Special Autonomy scholarship also have a good attitude. Maintaining this good behavior, said Popy, is also not easy. Indonesian people are known for their friendly nature. This is a capital to establish good relations with the people around so that a good image is built for Papuan students. However, this good image is not only carried out through a friendly attitude but also with good achievements.
Popy also said that the capacity building for Papuan students was also carried out through trainings, including through an internship program. Many Papuan students are interning at a number of institutions in the US. Some of them are placed in Indonesian representative offices such as the Indonesian Embassy and the Indonesian Consulate General. With this internship program at Indonesian representative offices, they get an extraordinary experience because they can interact with partners from the government such as from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of transportation and so on.
Therefore, according to Popy, the development process for human resources requires seriousness and good management in terms of reporting, in terms of monitoring academic achievement, and other aspects. According to Popy, specifically, this development program for human resources needs to be supported by various parties because this program has been proven to produce figures who excel and they return to Papua to develop Papua.
So, Popy continued, the most important thing about this program is how to ensure that the Otsus scholarship runs well, professionally and maximally. This includes in terms of preparation to management based on good governance. Students who take part in this program must be prepared as well as possible so that their studies can be on time. In addition, it should also be given as widely as possible to alumni who have just graduated to apply the knowledge they have acquired.