Jakarta – Education and Culture Minister Mohammad Nuh welcomed foreign universities to operate in Indonesia, as long as their executives were willing to collaborate with domestic higher-learning institutions.

Nuh said on Saturday that the higher education bill, currently still being discussed by the lawmakers, granted foreign institutions opportunities to operate in the country on the condition that they met two requirements.

"First, they [foreign universities] must be accredited. Second, they must work together with local universities in their management," he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

During his visit to Surabaya State Electronic Polytechnic in East Java, Nuh said that the new regulation would further facilitate local education colleges in cooperation with foreign universities, particularly in terms of technology transfer.

Nuh stressed that Indonesia would not follow the example set by Malaysia, which he claimed had allowed foreign universities to enter without any preconditions.