Padang, West Sumatra, Oct. 15 -- Indonesia currently has 898,792 students enrolled in vocational higher education programs, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology said Wednesday.

"This data comes from the higher education database managed by the ministry," said Tjitjik Sri Tjahjandarie, a special staff member to the minister.

The students are spread across Diploma I through Diploma IV (applied bachelor) programs, she said, participating in 5,768 vocational study tracks nationwide.

Over time, she noted, enrollment in vocational education has risen sharply.

"I believe this will increasingly contribute to the development of highly skilled human resources," she said.

Vocational students now study in nearly every Indone...