Education New Zealand Market Brief - Indonesia

Education New Zealand Market Brief

Indonesia

October 2003

Indonesia has been a steady market for international education over many years. Last year, around 750 Indonesian students came to New Zealand, and the number of incoming students has been in the range of 6-800 annually for a number of years.

Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, and the demand for education consistently outstrips the supply. Competition for the countries institutions is fierce, and at a tertiary level many good students are not able to find places. Consequently, they look elsewhere.

However, there are many obstacles facing Indonesian students wishing to study overseas. The Indonesian economy is not strong, and the financial burden of offshore education is beyond most students. Even more of a burden is the social instability prevalent in many parts of Indonesia. This creates challenges for Immigration officials in other countries and can make visa approvals a time consuming process.

It also creates difficulties for institutions visiting the market. Indonesia collectively remains the subject of travel advisories, and so the normal approach of visiting agents and prospective students in country is not always possible. In spite of this
Education New Zealand and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise are committed to ensuring that New Zealand retains a presence in this market, and their joint Five Steps Forward marketing plan has a carefully integrated range of education fairs and agents activities planned for Indonesia. Activities scheduled for earlier this year had to be postponed because of the Bali bombing and its aftermath, but an agents visit is currently underway and events in Indonesia are planed for next year in the hope that conditions stabilise.

Indonesian students have traditionally headed for Australia when seeking an English based education, and the US and UK also have a presence in the market. As our geographically closest major market, New Zealand has much to gain by overcoming the marketing challenges and ensuring that students are aware of what we can offer. The Indonesian education market is currently worth over $20 million to New Zealand, and there is still considerable potential for the future.

ENDS

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