Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) and Kwansei Gakuin University (KGU) duly signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the International Volunteer Program (IVP) on March 8th, 2024. The MoU marks the bottom-up endeavour to start the partnership with KGU through the pilot IVP project. The IVP was first introduced at the previous meeting on 24 January 2024 explained by Prof. SAKUMA Jun.
In a significant effort to welcome new International Relationships, UPI hosted a visitation and discussion on the MoU content with KGU on Wednesday, January 24th, 2024 at UPI PPPG Building. The meeting was attended by Prof. Dr. Didi Sukyadi, M.A. (Vice Rector for Academic and Student Affairs), Prof. Dr. Memen Kustiawan, S.E., M.Si., M.H, Ak. (Secretary of the University), Dr. rer.nat. Asep Supriatna, M.Si (Director of the Directorate of Education), Prof. Dr. Ahmad Bukhori Muslim, M.Ed., Ph.D. (Director of the Directorate of International Affairs), Dr. Deni Kadarsah, M.Pd (Principle of SMA Labschool UPI), distinguished delegates from UPI, and the Prof. SAKUMA Jun (Head of the International Volunteer Program, Kwansei Gakuin University).
The discussion started with an introduction to Kwansei Gakuin University’s profile as a prominent educational institution in Japan, followed by UPI’s profile as a leading and outstanding educational institution in Indonesia. The collaboration’s objectives were highlighted, emphasizing the goal of promoting the Japanese language at SD & SMA Labschool UPI, and the Faculty of Japanese Language Education at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia by Kwansei Gakuin University. The partnership also aims to create more opportunities for KGU students to experience learning and teaching strategies at UPI, contributing to the development of high-quality human resources for both KGU and UPI students.
Following this, Prof. Jun Sakuma, Head of the International Volunteer Program of KGU, presented an overview of the timeline plan for implementing the IVP in 2025, expressing the institution’s interest in undergoing the IVP for Kwansei Gakuin University students through learning and teaching in the UPI’s regions. He actively participated in the discussion, questioning the KGU student’s access to the facilitation provided by UPI.
Similarly, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Bukhori Muslim, M.Ed., Ph.D., Director of the Directorate of International Affairs discussed the MBKM Program, which is an Indonesian Volunteer Program organized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. Prof. Ahmad Bukhori stated. “In the MBKM Program, we offer the Indonesian International Students’ Mobility Awards (IISMA) for educational exchange purposes, as well as Kampus Mengajar for learning and teaching opportunities at the national level”.
The visit from Prof. SAKUMA Jun continued the next day to the UPI Japanese Language Education, Elementary School Laboratory and UPI Senior High School Laboratory. Prof. SAKUMA Jun had the opportunity to meet the faculty members and principals. Additionally, Prof. SAKUMA Jun was able to visit and observe facilities. The Head of the Japanese Language Education Study Program agreed to co-supervise future students from GKU participating in IVP. The Principals support the idea of having students from the IVP program. The UPI Senior High School Laboratory agreed to be the host for students from KGU, while UPI Elementary School Laboratory supported the idea of being the future host school.
The visitation and completion of the MoU symbolize the commitment of both parties to collaboration and language exchange. The collaborative efforts between UPI and KGU represent a significant advancement in enhancing educational opportunities and cross-cultural experiences for Japanese students.
(Property of DIA, Msy, Intan, and Jihan)