May 24, 2023

Professor David Currow joins NSW Governor on Education Providers’ visit to Indonesia and Vietnam

Delegation to explore interest and ideas from NSW universities in both countries

University of Wollongong (UOW) Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research and Sustainable Futures) Professor David Currow joins the Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, on a five-day visit to Indonesia and Vietnam.

The trip comes off the back of strong relationships with both countries, with Vietnam and Indonesia among the top 10 largest markets for Australian education.

“I am delighted to join NSW Governor Margaret Beazley on this important trip to Vietnam and Indonesia,” Professor Currow said.

“Both Vietnam and Indonesia have great relationships with Australia, and their students greatly benefit from the high-quality education and dynamic learning environment and opportunities that our country and institutions offer. Our University benefits from the cultural exchange and strong academic collaborations. Our students benefit from exchange opportunities.

“UOW has been actively engaged with Vietnamese universities and institutes since early 2000. Our teaching and research collaborations cover a broad range of disciplines from STEM to creative arts and social sciences.”

“We have an impressive number of high-quality Vietnamese PhD scholars currently earning their qualifications at UOW before returning to Vietnam to contribute to the further development of the country. We are keen to attract more.”

There are more than 400 Vietnamese students now enrolled at UOW, with most of them enrolled in degrees within the Faculty of Business and Law and the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences.

Professor Currow’s visit to Indonesia alongside other delegates from NSW will explore interest and ideas from NSW universities in the establishment of the Indonesia-Australia Consortium for Teacher Education. It will facilitate upgrading of lecturer and teacher capacity and Indonesia’s teacher professional education program and other related aspects in teachers’ education.

“Indonesia offers a lot of opportunities for institutions in NSW, and UOW already has MOUs and agreements in place to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and research between both countries,” Professor Currow said.

“We would like to see the number of students, and teaching and research collaborations between both countries grow at a faster pace, and our world-class facilities are ready to match the vision of Indonesian government.”

There are almost 200 Indonesian students enrolled at UOW with the majority undertaking degrees in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences and Faculty of Business and Law.