On September 4, the US Embassy in Jakarta welcomed Dr. Irfan, Head of the English Literature Department at Binus University for an insightful in-country orientation hosted by the US Embassy’s Regional English Language Office (RELO). The event took place at the embassy and was intended to equip four American teachers, who are serving at different universities across Indonesia, with the best possible knowledge about the local educational scenario. Dr. Irfan led an interactive one-hour session entitled “English Education in Universities/Teacher Training Colleges: A Case of an English Major in Indonesia.” During this session, he provided a comprehensive overview of the best practices for teaching English in Indonesian higher education institutions and offered strategies for overcoming the challenges associated with effective teaching.

The orientation was designed to facilitate a better grasp of the Indonesian academic environment, focusing on the nuances of teaching English in a diverse and evolving educational system. Dr. Irfan’s expertise provided the American teachers with valuable insights into how English majors are trained and prepared for their roles in Indonesian universities. This interactive session showed the commitment of the embassy to cross-cultural academic exchange and deepened the fellows’ knowledge with respect to their new teaching environments. This event marked an important step toward bridging educational practices between the United States and Indonesia. (MAGT)