Deputy Ambassador of Indonesia to Egypt Inspires at Thursina IIBS Seminar
In a commitment to give a well-rounded knowledge and understanding on the global education transformation to its students, Thursina IIBS recently organized a seminar on education titled ‘Challenges on Future Education: A Global Perspective’.
The key-note speaker of this seminar was Dr. Muhammad Aji Surya, S.H., M.Si., Deputy Chief Representative of the Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt. In his speech, Dr. Aji emphasized the importance of reading book to widens one’s intellectual horizon and to understand the world.
He stressed the significance of reading as a way to gain new perspectives and develop critical thinking skills. “Reading is essentially learning to think critically and rationally,” he explained.
In this occasion, Dr. Aji also highlighted the literacy crisis in Indonesia. With a worrying low reading index, it is revealed that, on average, Indonesians read 0 to 1 book in a year. This is highly differed from other far more advanced countries such as the United States and Japan where, on average, people read 10 to 20 books in a year. “This is the reason of the decline of our critical thinking ability,” he continued.
During the seminar, Dr. Aji passed on some informations on study abroad opportunities through private and state-funded scholarships. These information is expected to further motivate students to pursue their higher education journey in international institutions.
The deputy ambassador’s presentation served to inspire students on the importance of education in expanding one’s horizon. Dr. Aji encouraged them to take advantage of every opportunity to learn beyond existing borders and conventions, to shape a mind-set that is in-line with the global challenges and demands.
The event wrapped up with the hope that, by learning from competent key-note speakers like Dr. Aji, Thursina IIBS students will reflect and embody the qualities of an inspirational leader and a broad-minded individual.