SIT International hosted the delegation on Sunday, 24 May, led by UMS Rector, Professor Dr Harun Joko Prayitno, alongside senior academic leaders. The visit focused on exploring strategic academic partnership opportunities to build education initiatives between the two institutions.
Riza Ambadar, SIT International Manager, said the visit highlighted a strong alignment between the organisations and reinforced SIT’s international growth strategy.
“Our discussions demonstrated UMS’s capability as a credible and scalable partner with existing infrastructure and a clear commitment to internationalisation.”
”UMS presents a strong platform for collaboration, with the vision needed to support offshore delivery and international student pathways.”
Several opportunities were identified during the visit, including delivery of SIT Online programmes in Indonesia, the establishment of an English-language testing centre or NZCEL pathway for outbound students, potential delivery of SIT’s Manaaki preparation programme, Joint editorial and research publication opportunities and academic review and quality alignment initiatives.
Growing international connections
UMS is one of Indonesia’s leading private universities, offering programmes from undergraduate to doctoral level. It operates under the Muhammadiyah Organisation and integrates academic excellence with Islamic values.
Their SIT visit provided an opportunity for both institutions to explore how their strengths could complement each other in delivering innovative and flexible education pathways.
Professor Dr Harun Joko Prayitno, Rector of Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, said the exploratory visit for collaboration between UMS Surakarta and SIT NZ is expected to establish a partnership that will enhance the academic reputation of both institutions.
“Collaboration in the fields of research, innovation, community empowerment, joint publications, joint conferences, and participation in a shared editorial team for scientific publications is expected to contribute positively to the quality and reputation of both parties, namely SIT and UMS.”
Mr Ambadar added the engagement reflects SIT’s ongoing commitment to building meaningful partnerships that bring the world to Southland, to benefit students, communities, and industry.
“This visit marks the opening of a new door to boundless potential. The Muhammadiyah Education network serves over one million students across 5,346 institutions, 164 of which are at tertiary level. UMS alone hosts more than 44,000 students at its campus in Surakarta (Solo), Central Java. We look forward to exploring these opportunities in greater depth with UMS.”
A follow-up meeting will be scheduled to discuss the next steps during Mr Ambadar’s visit to the UMS campus in July.
Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta