Singaraja– The arrival of foreign students to the Ganesha University of Education continues. This time there were 20 people from Windesheim University of Applied Science, the Netherlands to take part in the BIPA Program for 6 months. This program is one of Undiksha’s steps to strengthen the Internationalization at Home Program which was launched in 2019.
The presence of the students was led directly by Dr. Jannie Lensen Botter, lecturer at WIIndesheim University. They were officially received on Wednesday (02/10/2019) in the Ganesha Room 2 by Undiksha Deputy Chancellor I, Dr. Gede Rasben Dantes, S.T., M.TI. and Head of the Office of International Affairs and Cooperation (KUIK), Dr. Ni Made Ratminingsih, M.A. Apart from being related to BIPA, these students will carry out activities as volunteers for social programs, such as waste management, HIV/AIDS prevention, preschool education programs, and other health programs. Apart from that, some of these students also carried out IT development programs, and teaching practices at Bali Mandara High School and several kindergartens in Temukus village.
Undiksha really appreciates the cooperation that has been established since 2007. As stated by Deputy Chancellor I Rasben Dantes, who in his speech hoped that with this program, Undiksha would be able to become a “home” as a learning center for foreign students, so that it would become increasingly recognized, not only in Asia but also in other continents. In addition, students are expected not only to develop themselves in the academic field but also in non-academic activities, such as art, culture, and tourism.
Besides that, Dr. Jannie-Lensen, as the program coordinator, was very enthusiastic because she had worked with Undiksha on various programs. Starting from sending 4 of his students to Undiksha until now it has reached 40 students every year. He also said that apart from learning Indonesian, his students also learned Indonesian culture through art and culture studies, cooking classes, and outing activities. Jannie hopes that this activity can provide broader insights for her students, including about social and cultural life in Bali.
Joost Albert, a Windesheim student who will carry out the Pre-School education program, feels very proud to be at Undiksha. He knows Undiksha from some of his seniors who have done study programs before. He hopes to share knowledge with kindergarten teachers regarding syllabi, learning strategies, and evaluation for preschool learning. The same thing was conveyed by Lorena Van Der Meer, a Windesheim student from the Department of Architectural Engineering who was interested in knowing the architecture of the Dutch heritage in Buleleng which is still maintained by the Buleleng people as a cultural heritage. (hms)
