Vocational education is a priority for the government of Namibia, because this sector gives a positive impact to reducing unemployment and creating job opportunities for young people.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesia is exploring cooperation in vocational education with Namibia by holding a virtual meeting which was attended by the Indonesian Ambassador to Namibia, Wisnu Edi Pratignyo, on March 2, 2023.

Ambassador Wisnu hopes that the meeting would realize cooperation in the field of vocational education between Indonesia and Namibia, which would have a positive impact on the development of human resources in both countries, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a written statement as quoted by Indonesia Window on Friday.

The Indonesian ambassador suggested that officials from the two ministries visit each other to find out more and see closely observe facilities in the development of the vocational field in order to identify the scope of cooperation that would ill be forged in the field of vocational education.

The meeting which took place between officials from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of Indonesia and the Ministry of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation (MHETI) of Namibia, was also attended by the Secretary of the Directorate General of Vocational Education of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, Saryadi, Executive Director of MHETI, Dr. Alfred van Kent, Director of Policy and Planning for MHETI, Tuanda Keeja, and representatives from the African Directorate of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In his presentation, Secretariat General Saryadi conveyed information about the development of vocational education in Indonesia.

Currently in Indonesia there are around 14,000 vocational high schools with 5.2 million students, 128 programs with around 10 study areas, including tourism, engineering, arts and culture, information technology, agriculture, business management, mining and construction.

On that occasion, the Executive Director of MHETI, Alfred van Kent, expressed his appreciation to Ambassador Wisnu for the initiative to develop cooperation in the education sector between Indonesia and Namibia.

The development of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is a priority for the government of Namibia, because the positive impact of TVET, among other things, is reducing unemployment and creating job opportunities for young people.

Alfred van Kent welcomed the Indonesian ambassador's suggestion and is ready to host the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture's delegation when visiting Namibia.

He also hopes to visit Indonesia and closely observe the development of vocational schools in Indonesia.

Reporting by Indonesia Window