Jakarta. British Council is hosting "Study UK Exhibition 2017" on Saturday (04/03) and Sunday at the Fairmont Hotel in Senayan, Jakarta.

The British cultural body has invited 64 institutions from around the United Kingdom, including the University of St Andrews and the University of Bristol, to hold experience-sharing sessions with their Indonesian alumni, seminars and workshops.

Representatives of the British embassy, the UK global scholarship program Chevening, UK immigration office and local education consultant Jurusanku will also participate in the event.

The exhibition will then move to the Sheraton Hotel in Surabaya, East Java, on March 7 and to the Grand Aston Hotel in Yogyakarta on March 9.

"A third of the LPDP [Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education] scholars choose to study in the UK," British Ambassador Moazzam Malik said during the British Council Alumni Awards on Thursday in Jakarta.

"We need young Indonesians to enjoy the UK, and we need them to go back to Indonesia to help the country operate to its full potential."

British Council Indonesia country director Paul Smith added that studying overseas helps students nurture self-understanding.

"To displace yourself in a new country and culture is the best way to develop a mature understanding of yourself and your country, and how you can use that experience once you return," Smith said.

According to the British Council, 3,184 student visas were given to Indonesians in 2016 – an increase from 2,692 in 2015.

At the alumni awards, Tatas Hardo Panintingjati Brotosudarmo, who graduated from the University of Glasgow, was recognized for his scientific achievements in photosynthesis and the influence his research has had on the government policy on food coloring.

Another Indonesian alumni, Samiaji Adisasmito of Aston University, was recognized for his entrepreneurship and establishment of fintech startup Jojonomic.

University of Essex alumnus Ricky Gunawan took home the social impact award for his work on defending human rights and creating the Community Legal Aid Institute (LBH Masyarakat).