York Guides

Regional centres of learning in scholarships scheme
THREE Yorkshire universities are helping counterparts in Indonesia who were devastated by the tsunami which killed thousands of people last year.

James Reed
Education Correspondent

Leeds, Sheffield and York are among 13 British universities which have joined forces to offer scholarships to the Indonesian institutions as they continue to try to rebuild.

Leeds graduate Dr Usman Kasim, of Universitas Syiah Kuala (UNSYIAH), lost his wife and three of his four children in the disaster on December 26.

He has now returned to the UK and is currently spending a month back at Leeds University helping to set up the British universities scholarship scheme for the two universities in Aceh – UNSYIAH and the Institut Agama Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry (IAIN).

Dr Usman said: "The offer of scholarships is very helpful, and we hope those who come to the UK will gain experience to replace that of the colleagues we lost."

Between them, the two universities lost one-in-10 of their staff in the disaster and also sustained severe damage to buildings, leaving them with only basic communications.

Leeds University vice-chancellor Professor Michael Arthur said: "It is very pleasing to see so many British universities working together to help their colleagues in higher education in Indonesia.
"The two universities affected, IAIN and UNYSIAH, urgently need training opportunities for their junior staff and this scholarship scheme will make a real difference to them.

"I am very grateful to all the British universities concerned for their rapid and generous response, to the British Council and to the British and Indonesian governments for helping to make this scheme happen."
A York University spokesman said: "The University of York had no hesitation in getting involved in such a worthwhile scheme to help to rebuild academic expertise and educational establishments in a part of the world ravaged by such
an appalling natural disaster."

In addition to the universities' efforts, the Leeds Indonesian students' association hopes to rebuild a primary school which was destroyed by the tsunami by raising £22,000.
Although children in Aceh officially returned to school a month after the disaster, many still do not have a school to attend or are studying with very basic facilities.
The appeal hopes to rebuild a school in Banda Aceh with five classrooms, offices for teachers and a water pump and tower.

Professor Sally Macgill, who worked at Leeds University, and her daughter Alice were among Britons who were killed by the tsunami.

Cheques made payable to the University of Leeds can be sent to the Appeal for Post-Tsunami Primary School Reconstruction in Aceh; International Office, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT.
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