The European Higher Education Fair (Ehef.id) took place in Indonesia from 8 to 13 November 2018. The events in Jakarta, Bandung and Yogyakarta were attended by several hundreds of exhibitors from the European Union and tens of thousands of Indonesian pupils, students and their parents considering studying in Europe. At the invitation of NAWA and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Indonesia, the fair was also attended by Polish universities interested in recruiting students from this island country, inhabited by over 260 million people. Poland was represented by Warsaw universities: Collegium Civitas, Vistula and the University of Warsaw, and the University of Opole.

The fair stand of the UO was operated by employees of the International Study Programmes section, Dr Michał Wanke and Oksana Smolnikova, who travelled to Indonesia not only at the invitation of the Embassy, but also within the framework of the Erasmus+ Key Action 107 programme they visited the partner university in Surabai, Airlangha University. During the visit a series of lectures were given at the local Department of Social Sciences and a number of meetings on further cooperation between the universities were held.

On 14 November 2018, at the special invitation of Beata Stoczyńska, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Jakarta, representatives of the UO took part in a meeting with the Governor of the Small Sunday Islands province, Dr. Zulkieflimansyah, and the rectors of universities of this six million-strong region. The popular “Dr. Zul”, who earned his master’s degree and doctorate at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, pursues an active policy of investing in the human capital of the Islands, which is based on a scholarship programme for young people.

During the meeting in Mataram, the capital of the region, on Lomboku, the programme offer of the UO was presented and preliminary agreements for sending Indonesian students to Opole were formulated. The governor is due to visit the University of Opole soon, as he will be a guest at the COP24 climate conference in Katowice at the beginning of this December.

 The OU started cooperation with Indonesia within the Erasmus+ programme in the previous academic year. As a result, the UO and partner universities (Jakarta University of Indonesia, Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Brawijaya University in Malang, Muhammadiyah University in Malang and the aforementioned Airlangha University in Surabai) have exchanged staff on short visits and the Indonesian party has sent students to the Summer School. In spring 2018, the Indonesian universities were visited by Prof. Janusz Słodczyk, Vice-Rector for Research and Finance. In December 2018 the UO will host a forum of Vice-Deans of Brawijaya University.

 The first Indonesian student at the UO, Mr. Arif Siswanto is about to graduate from the Intercultural Communication and has already commenced his professional career in one of the international companies in Poland.