Outreach activities
Asia Institute Intiatives
International Linkages
- Australian Indonesia Muslim Exchange
- Partnership in Education and Training of Regional Islamic Institutions
Asian Literacy Awards
As part of the University's engagement within the Asia-Pacific region, the Asia Institute has set aside a total of thirty tuition-free places in its Asian language programs. The languages presently taught are Japanese, Chinese, Arabic and Indonesian.
Continuing staff of the University (academic and general) are eligible to apply. Application forms will be available from Asia Institute in August 2005, for the 2006 academic year.
Staff studying the language will not be formally enrolled, but will be assessed on their prior level of linguistic competence, attend all classes, complete assignments and the exams - and will receive a certificate from Asia Institute. Prior to commencement of study, their Head of Department will be asked to indicate that time will be allowed for class attendance and examinations.
Language acquisition is a means to enhance research capacities and Asia literacy.
University Tsunami Relief
In March 2005 Asia Institute Director Prof Michael Leigh carried out an analysis of the impact of the tsunami on education in Aceh, Indonesia. This work was supported by the Faculty of Arts and the University's Tsunami Task Force. Professor Leigh had earlier been stationed in Banda Aceh for two years and was responsible for the program for the development of the social sciences throughout Indonesian Universities, Islamic Institutes and Teachers' colleges.
Based upon a wide range of interviews with leaders of community groups, officials and the leaders of the local Universities and Islamic Institutes his report recommended the establishment of an Education Research and Training Institute to provide 'hands on' training of University teachers and researchers. The Myer Foundation has agreed to support this initiative, and AusAid are positively evaluating the project, as it is a co-operative venture by Australian Universities with particular expertise on the region.
The Institute will allow:
- En situ training of lecturers and staff to teach, supervise and research, and result in the creation of a growing core of well-trained health workers, teachers, social workers, economists, entrepreneurs, ICT professionals, sociologists, engineers and scientists.
- Building a teaching and research capacity in Banda Aceh, capable of understanding the social and cultural impact of the tsunami, formulating policy responses based upon hard evidence, and working with civil society groups enhancing the opportunities of conflict resolution and monitoring the process of development.
- Creating a capacity that will draw scholars from outside the province, and thereby ensure that Acehnese have every incentive to return after overseas training.
Professor Leigh was invited to the round table on post-tsunami educational capacity building in Chicago and has delivered a series of presentations on 'Aceh, Indonesia post-tsunami' at Universities with a strong interest in Southeast Asia, including the Universities of Washington, Wisconsin and British Columbia. The plans are developed in conjunction with Monash, Victoria, Sydney, ANU, UTS and UNSW, and staff from each of those universities will participate in program delivery.
The program addresses meeting key needs over the next five years especially those of the present generation of secondary school students and those already enrolled at University in Aceh, who are severely disadvantaged.
Community-based Language Maintenance Training
The Endangered Maluku Languages research team, including Asia Institute staff member Dr Michael Ewing, together with Dr Margaret Florey and Dr Simon Musgrave of Monash University and Mw Drs Betty Litamahuputty of the Max Plank Institute, conducted a one week intensive workshop in Maluku, Indonesia in February 2005. Organised in cooperation with Pattimura University, Ambon, this workshop brought together professionals from Pattimura University and the Ambon National Library, older members of village communities who retain indigenous knowledge and younger community members with an interest in language and cultural maintenance. Training provided by the Australia-based research team covered topics of language documentation, understanding language diversity and change, and developing proposals for community-based language projects. Plans for further workshops in 2006 are under way.
Australia Indonesia Muslim Exchange
In 2002, in partnership with the ANU, Asia Institute initiated and undertook to manage on behalf of the Australia Indonesia Institute an exchange program for young Indonesian and Australian Muslim leaders. Funding has been renewed for 2005/6 ($143,820).
Under the program young Muslim leaders from Indonesia and Australia visit each others' countries for approximately two weeks to meet both Muslims and non-Muslims to exchange views and share experiences. The purpose of the program is to raise the level of informed opinion about Islam and Muslims in both countries, to increase awareness about the diversity of cultures and faiths in Australia and Indonesia, to show how these various groups communicate and cooperate with each other, and to encourage the development of links between Australian and Indonesian Muslims.
Since the Program's inception in 2002 thirty-five young Indonesian Muslim leaders have visited Australia and two groups of Australian Muslims have travelled to Indonesia. As a result of their visits to Melbourne, a number of Indonesian participants have expressed interest in pursuing postgraduate studies at Asia Institute.
Asia Institute has been a strong supporter of the project, which has established itself as the Australia Indonesia Institute's flagship program, since its inception.
Discussions in Asia Institute are an important feature of the program for both Indonesian and Australian participants and Asia Institute provides substantial, core administrative support for the planning and management of all visits under the program.
Partnership in Education and Training of Regional Islamic Institutions
This project is designed to upgrade the qualification of selected teaching staff at Islamic educational institutions (IAIN/STAIN) outside Java, and thus improve the quality of Islamic education in Indonesia.
The program is funded by DFAT [$246,000] and jointly coordinated by Asia Institute and the Faculty of Asian Studies, ANU. The objective is to provide an opportunity for bright young Indonesian masters' degree graduates from Islamic Institutes to visit Australia for one year, to experience first-hand Australian postgraduate training, and to familiarize themselves with day-to-day living in an Australian context. This project promotes cultural awareness and serves to enhance Indonesian/Australian relations, as well as to build future educational exchanges and programs.
From 2004 to 2005, Indonesian postgraduates sent to Melbourne within this program have been working with Professor Arief Budiman and Professor Michael Leigh from Asia Institute, together with Professor Tim Lindsey (Law) and Associate Professor Howard Dick (Economics and Commerce) to extend their home-country Masters theses and to explore how to place their research projects within a comparative perspective. The participants have also been assigned student mentors from Asia Institute's Indonesian PhD candidates in order to assure a well-rounded educational and "student life" experience, as well as to create a support network and environment. The next intake of students is in August 2005.