EXPLORING THE CULTURE AND UNIQUENESS OF INDONESIA
UUM ONLINE: International Mobility organised by the Integration, Community and International Bureau of Bank Rakyat Residence, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) enabled students to explore the uniqueness and culture in Indonesia.
The programme which was aptly themed Strategic Exploration UUM at Yogyakarta, Navigate the Collaborative Engagement and Experience Exchange afforded UUM students with the opportunity to collaborate with students from Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) and Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY).
The Director of the Programme, Mr. Muhammad Danish Itqan Azli said, the six-day programme was filled with beneficial contents such as the exchange of experiences related to student development programmes, community, volunteering, cross-cultural, social and economic networking, as well as UUM’s Alumni sharing and edu-tourism at the Special Region of Yogyakarta.
“I am delighted to see all participants eager to learn about the culture, way of life, cuisines and the atmosphere at our neighbouring country.
“Indonesia and Malaysia belong to the same ethnic group; as a result, we want to learn and share with the students here in an effort to develop universities in Asia through the provision of quality education,” he said.
“For me, this programme is an effort towards strategic partnership between UUM and the universities here as it enables the participants to gain knowledge, experience and build networks as well as promoting UUM as institution of choice to further their studies,” he added.
Participants attended this seminar, which was conducted in the format of a dialogue witnessed two-way sharing that featured experts in their respective fields, particularly Malaysia-Indonesia bilateral relations and was organised by the International Relation Department, UII.
Immediately after, the Communication Department, UII took over the programme and held a relaxing sharing session focused on Creative and Adaptive Youth Facing Global Challenge in Higher Education. During this session, representatives from both universities shared their experiences with the lifestyle at their respective universities.
Meanwhile, Mr. Abdul Hakeem Adzraa’i described the international mobility programme as being very helpful in building the students’ self-development as well as establishing networking with friends from various countries.
“I could see the excitement on the face of each participant when we were warmly greeted by the representatives from UII accompanied by angklung and gamelan music played at the airport as if we were taken to mystical dimension filled with mysterious culture to explore.
“My friends and I were able to learn more about the structure and development of the student body at the educational institution in Indonesia.
“Hence, the experience was an eye-opening experience for me and my fellow friends to further improve the structure of education and leadership in Malaysia, he said.
Mr. Abdul Hakeem expressed hope that such programme could be continued in the future to further enhance the close relationship that exists between Malaysia and Indonesia, with the goals of preserving harmony and fostering the spirit of unity among each other.