Würzburg and Indonesia: Educational alliance for the future!

Würzburg and Indonesia: Educational alliance for the future!

The Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) had a special visit on July 16, 2025: The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (JMU) sent a delegation to deepen academic cooperation in the field of international teacher training. The event was part of the Global Teacher Education Plus (Go-TEd+) program, which is funded as part of a collaboration with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for the years 2025 to 2029.

Partnership with UNNES

The delegation was led by Professor H.-S. Siller, the head of mathematics education at the JMU, and Dr. Matthias Erhardt led. Upon their arrival, they were officially welcomed by Prof. Heri Yanto, UNNES Vice-Rector for Planning, Human Resources and Finance. In their discussions with the UNNES representatives, the importance of the partnership for the international orientation of UNNES was highlighted. Dr. Adi Nur Cahyono, the program coordinator at UNNES, emphasized the long-standing collaboration in mathematics education and the possibility of developing joint study programs, research projects and double degree programs.

In order to further promote cooperation, the delegation also took part in further meetings with various universities and educational institutions. Among other things, discussions are planned at the Ministry of Education in Jakarta, which could provide additional impetus for cooperation.

Scholarships for teacher training students

In addition to these international efforts, there is also the “Lehramt.International” scholarship program, which supports internships abroad for teaching students and graduates. The requirements are clear: enrolled students of all disciplines from the first semester onwards can apply for funding. The internships must be self-organized at educational institutions abroad and last between one and six months.

Benefits of the scholarship include a monthly payment and one-time travel allowances, which vary depending on the host country. Important to know: Parallel funding via Erasmus or PROMOS is not possible. Anyone wishing to take part must fill out an online application form and submit various documents, including a CV and a certificate of matriculation. Further details are available on the DAAD website.

An international look at teacher education

The context of these programs is essential: teacher training must take place in an international and intercultural framework in order to meet the requirements of a globalized world. A comprehensive study by the DAAD has shown that the international focus in teacher training programs has so far only existed in individual cases, and that the mobility rates of teacher training students vary greatly depending on the subject area.

In the first funding phase from 2019 to 2024, for example, 36 pilot projects were supported and over 3,000 teacher training students received scholarships for internships abroad. The DAAD set itself the goal of increasing the internationalized components in teacher training and thus making the programs more attractive.

One thing is clear: the next step in teacher training needs this international exchange and networking. The cooperation between the JMU and UNNES is a step in the right direction to optimally prepare young teachers for the challenges of a multicultural society.

Continue to follow developments in international teacher training on the website of University of Würzburg, Goethe University Frankfurt and DAAD.