Indonesian president Widodo impressed with Vietnam’s development gains

Widodo, who paid an official visit to Vietnam last week, raised the warnings in his speech at an Indonesian Rectors’ Forum on January 15, saying Vietnam, with its increasing GDP per capita, could surpass Indonesia one day if no changes are made.

According to the president, Indonesia used to have the advantage of developing its economy some 30 years earlier than Vietnam. He cited data from the International Monetary Fund, saying Indonesia’s GDP per capita last year hit US$5,110, while the Vietnamese figure stood at US$4,320.

The Indonesian President expressed his impression of the master’s and doctoral graduation rate at 2.43% in Vietnam, while pointing out only 0.45% of the working-age population in Indonesia has a master’s or doctoral degree. In his view, the lack of highly educated human resources could create barriers to Indonesia’s goal of becoming a developed economy.

Widodo also said Vietnam has built connections between universities and industries, enabling universities to train workers needed by local industries.

Surveys by Indonesia Statistics (BPS) show that more than 70% of the country’s population is of working age, however, many graduates find it difficult to find jobs.

The president asked educational institutions and universities to immediately prepare quality human resources along with advanced science and technology for Indonesia to take advantage of its golden population in the next 5 to 10 years.