The warm atmosphere filled with a spirit of collaboration characterized the meeting between the Singapore Ministry of Education and junior high school principals and teachers in Aceh, particularly in Banda Aceh, at a special workshop held Thursday evening, July 17, 2025, at Meuligoe Wali Nanggroe.
The event was facilitated by His Excellency the Wali Nanggroe Aceh, His Excellency the Tgk. Malik Mahmud Al Haythar.
Also in attendance from Singapore were Willy Kurniawan (General Manager, Ministry of Education, Singapore), Jerrica Yap Wee Ping (Consul General of the Singaporean Consulate), and Wei Kit (Manager, Ministry of Education, Singapore).
The Wali Nanggroe was accompanied by members of the Majelis Tuha Peut Wali Nanggroe, Prof. Dr. Syahrizal Abbas, Tgk. Darwis Jeunieb, Special Staff Dr. Muhammad Raviq, Dr. Rustam Effendi, Head of the Wali Abdullah Hasbullah, and several other officials from the Keurukon Katibul Wali.
Also in attendance were the Head of the Aceh Education Office, Marthunis, and the Head of the Banda Aceh Education and Culture Office, Sulaiman Bakri.
The Head of Cooperation and Public Relations for Wali Nanggroe, Zulfikar Idris, stated that the workshop was part of a follow-up to the long-standing educational collaboration between Wali Nanggroe and the Singaporean government, which began discussions five years ago.
In his remarks, Wali Nanggroe stated that since the end of the conflict, challenges in education have continued to be a primary concern for the government and stakeholders, including the Wali Nanggroe Institute, which continues to actively explore foreign cooperation.
Aceh has a unique political, economic, legal, and educational background, as stipulated in Law Number 11 of 2006 concerning the Governance of Aceh (UUPA). This unique status presents a significant opportunity for Aceh to develop a better and more competitive education system through international cooperation.
Therefore, various forms of collaboration are being explored, such as providing scholarships, internship programs, international student exchanges, bonuses for teachers and Islamic boarding school administrators, curriculum improvements, and holding focus group discussions (FGDs) and modern education workshops, such as the one held with the Singaporean Ministry of Education this time.
"What we are doing is long-awaited and very necessary," said Wali Nanggroe. He also mentioned the importance of learning from Singapore—a small country that has become a global economic giant despite not possessing the natural resources of Aceh.
"Singapore is a small country, without the natural resources of Aceh, but they have a leader with far-sighted vision and have successfully managed their country well. That's why we see their economy is so advanced now," he added.
Wali Nanggroe emphasized that if Aceh's education sector is managed well, it will be able to produce visionary leaders and good governance. Ultimately, this will elevate Aceh's economy to the level of developed countries in Southeast Asia.
"I see their industry is very sophisticated. Even Silicon Valley technology has entered Singapore. Their investors are everywhere, not only in ASEAN but also beyond. And one important thing, their financial management is very good," Wali Nanggroe emphasized.
"I ask the Aceh Government, through the relevant agencies, to immediately follow up on this collaboration opportunity so that it has a real impact on the advancement of education in Aceh," Wali Nanggroe said.
During the session, the Singaporean Ministry of Education presented their education system, scholarship opportunities, and student exchange programs.
"We want to explore potential collaborations with schools in Aceh, get to know the educational leaders in Banda Aceh better, and also introduce our programs, including scholarships from the Singaporean Ministry of Education," said Willy Kurniawan, General Manager of the Singaporean Ministry of Education, in his presentation.
Following the presentation, the workshop also included a question-and-answer session between the teachers in attendance and the Singaporean Ministry of Education. []
Source: Wali Nanggroe Institute press release