“Indonesia is going to be one of the giants of the 21st century; it is one of the powers which is going to determine how the century goes,” Owen Jenkins added.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - New British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste Owen Jenkins on Wednesday launched the application window for Chevening Scholarships in Jakarta. Chevening is a good platform for exposing young and future Indonesian leaders to world-class education, said Owen Jenkins.

Chevening, the UK government’s global scholarship program with an overall budget of 57 million pounds, offers future leaders the chance to pursue one-year master’s degrees in any subject at any UK university, according to the British Embassy Jakarta.

Owen Jenkins, who works on diverse issues from climate change and economics to international security, and links between prosperity and sustainability, stated that the Chevening Scholarships symbolize all these issues.

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“They have been an incredible bridge between countries and the UK, and I already can see Indonesia is no exception to that at all,” he added.

“Who we are looking for are Indonesia’s future leaders, who can take the opportunity to go to the UK to do a master’s degree, to get the skills and expertise and the contacts they will need in their chosen field,” said Owen Jenkins at his office in South Jakarta.

“We are very proud to send over 60 young Indonesians to the UK every year, in a range of fields from environmental science through economics and politics to law design, among others,” Owen Jenkins told Antara. “I think that reflects the breadth of the UK-Indonesia relationship, which covers all these areas and more."

Around 1,700 Indonesians from across the country have won Chevening Scholarships over the last 35 years. Around 68 Chevening scholarships were awarded to Indonesia and 5 to Timor-Leste last year, and the British Embassy Jakarta hopes to award at least another 63 to Indonesia and 4 to Timor-Leste in 2019.

“It really is an astonishing opportunity for a career diplomat like me to be in this country at this time, I think there is absolutely extraordinary potential for British-Indonesian relations,” Owen Jenkins said at his first official event as an ambassador in Jakarta.

“Indonesia is going to be one of the giants of the 21st century; it is one of the powers which is going to determine how the century goes,” Owen Jenkins added.

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Reporter: Azizah Fitriyanti, Alyx Chang
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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