ID :
11928
Wed, 07/09/2008 - 10:59
Auther :

SENIOR US CULTURAL AFFAIRS OFFICIAL VISITS RI TO PROMOTE EXCHANGES

Jakarta, July 9 (ANTARA) - U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Goli Ameri visited Indonesia to meet with Indonesian educators, cultural experts, and alumni from U.S.-Indonesian exchange programs.

Ms. Ameri heads the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world, a press statement of the US embassy said.

"I have been very pleased to be in Indonesia to meet a cross-section of scholars and cultural leaders, and to see how U.S. exchange programs are promoting mutual understanding and benefits to both countries," Assistant Secretary Ameri said at the end of a five-day visit.

Her trip included both Jakarta and Yogyakarta. She met with representatives from the State Alumni Teachers Association, and Director General of Higher Education Fasli Jalal from the Ministry of National Education.

Assistant Secretary Ameri also visited the American Indonesian Exchange Foundation (AMINEF) to meet with Fulbright alumni, board members, and staff. She attended a dinner, hosted by Bina Antarbudaya, which marked the fifth anniversary of the Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES) in Indonesia. YES is an innovative high school exchange program that aims to build bridges of understanding between Americans and Indonesians.

Ameri's activities in Yogyakarta included announcing a $297,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State for the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)/Indonesian Arts Education Residency Fellowship Program, which will support the exchange of eleven music, dance, and theater students and teachers. She also visited Universitas Muhammdiyah, where she exchanged views with faculty and students, and toured the American Corner, and visited Bantul to see how Habitat for Humanity and GE Lighting have been cooperating to help the 2006 earthquake victims construct new homes.

Ms. Ameri was sworn in as the Assistant Secretary of State on March 19, 2008.


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