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NT Bureau
Chennai, July 28:

        A political delegation from Indonesia was so fascinated by the noon meal scheme being implemented in Tamilnadu that it said it would consider replicating it in their country.

        The team was also impressed by the education system in the State and it is likely that it would distribute free textbooks, uniforms and arrange for free transport for school students in their country from next year.

        A Hakam Naja, deputy chief, Commission X, Republic of Indonesia, said these while speaking to the media at a press meet held in the city yesterday. He was leading a team of Parliamentarians on a study tour to enhance co-operation with India in education, culture and tourism sectors.

        Naja said, 'the mid-day meal programme is very interesting and it is an inspiration for us.'

        He said that in order to bring down the dropout rate, Indonesia was likely to implement schemes like giving away free textbooks, uniforms and transport to school children through allocation in the budget itself.

        He further mentioned that Indonesia was looking for ways to reduce the dropout rate from 5 to 6 per cent to somewhere between 0 and 1 per cent and at present each student has to have compulsory education for nine years.

        The delegation had visited IIT Mumbai and plans to increase the number of students coming to India for higher education, he said emphasising that 20 per cent of the national and provincial budgets would be allotted for education in the years to come.

        Saying that though the government framed the curriculum, the textbooks were printed by private companies and that was expensive, he said adding that the delegation studied the NCERT model to publish standardised textbooks at affordable costs.

        Heri Akhmadi, another MP, speaking on direct flight services to Indonesia for getting the most of tourism, said that the nation's airlines were not in a position to take up direct service due to economic recession. However, he said, talks were on with private players and added that Indonesia was well connected with Malaysia and Singapore. The investment laws had been simplified and at present Indonesia treated any foreign investor like a domestic one. The investors in infrastructure could bring their own workforce to a great extent, he added.

        Nahot Simbolon of the Embassy of Indonesia in New Delhi, speaking on the bilateral trade between the two countries, said trade between the two countries was about US $ 5.3 billion of which Indonesia's exports, mainly coal, oil and chemicals, constituted $ 3.5 billion. Its imports, including rice and fabrics, contributed to $ 1.8 billion.