He then advised the government to focus on the two crucial sectors.
"Education and health sectors can truly help Indonesia, and they should go hand in hand," he said in response to a question from Arini Saraswati Subianto, president director of Persada Capital Investama.
She was one of the philanthropists invited by President Prabowo Subianto to meet with Gates in Jakarta on Wednesday.
According to Gates, a correlation between education and health would help form a virtuous cycle in children, Indonesia's next generation.
"Looking at the data and statistics in this region, there are two good examples, namely Singapore and Vietnam," he said.
He informed that Singapore, as one of the highest-income countries, has the best educational achievements in the world. Meanwhile, Vietnam could emerge as one of the high-income countries in the region due to its education system.
Gates then listed key factors determining the success of the two countries, including training for teachers and high expectations of teacher quality.
He also gave the example of India, which, he said, has begun to focus on improving the education sector in recent years.
"In the last five years, India has adopted new practices, including structural learning that has brought positive changes, especially at the lowest level," he informed.
Gates met with President Prabowo at the Merdeka Palace on Wednesday. The two also held a discussion in the President's office with several ministers from the Red and White Cabinet.
After the meeting, Prabowo introduced Gates to several Indonesian conglomerate leaders and philanthropists, including Chairul Tanjung, Haji Abdul Rasyid, Garibaldi Thohir, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, and Prajogo Pangestu.
They further included Arsjad Rasjid, Tomy Winata, James Riady, Anthony Salim, Dato' Sri Tahir, Arini Saraswati Subianto, Wisnu Wardhana, and Haji Isam.
During his meeting with Indonesian tycoons, Gates answered two questions from Hashim Djojohadikusumo regarding nuclear energy and Arini regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and private sector contributions to advancing the education sector.
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Translator: Genta Tenri, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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