Indian Ambassador Visits Undiksha, Interested in Establishing Cooperation

Ganesha University of Education (Undiksha) was visited by the Indian Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste, Pradeep Kumar Rawat, on Monday (3/12/2018) today. Received by Vice Chancellor IV, Drs. I Wayan Suarnajaya, M.A., Ph.D in his office. The meeting discussed cooperation in the education sector, one of which was student exchange.

During his visit, Kumar Rawat said that in India there are a number of universities that have collaborated with universities abroad. They also have an interest in establishing something similar with Undiksha. This collaboration is not only related to academics but also to culture and other things, such as yoga.

Suarnajaya responded positively to this. Because, so far there has been no cooperation with India. “We had the Indian ambassador visiting campus. We were informed that there are a number of scholarships for Masters and Doctoral degrees. This is the first time we have arrived. Previously there weren’t any,” he said.

Following up on this, this academic from Nusa Penida District, Klungkung Regency hopes that there will soon be data on universities that will enable them to collaborate with the hope that the quality of education, especially Undiksha, will get better. “We responded positively to this. And hope it works. “We have asked for data from universities that allow us to collaborate,” he said.

So far, this university which has a Faculty of Medicine has collaborated with a number of universities in Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Some also in Europe. “We have collaborated with universities abroad at the Asian and European levels. But what we prioritize is the Asian level. For example, sending students to cultural camps, street vendors and PPL in Thailand. But in Europe, it is still very limited. “In fact, quite a lot of students from there are studying at Undiksha,” he explained.

This program is not only important for improving academic quality and supporting the launch of internationalization in 2019. But also for character development. Students involved have the opportunity to gain more experience. “This is not just for academics. But also get to know more about Indonesian culture, so that awareness of the diversity of life becomes higher. Students are increasingly realizing that Indonesia is very diverse and must be maintained. “So the spirit of nationalism towards the country is getting higher,” added Suarnajaya. (hms)