Taking Place Online, Udayana University hosts the IISMA Welcoming Briefing Thailand

Udayana University (Unud) through the Office of International Affairs hosted the IISMA Welcoming Briefing Thailand which took place online via the Zoom application, Tuesday (10/9/2024). This activity was attended by the Academic Director of Vocational Higher Education of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Head of the IISMA Program and Managers, Vice Rector for Student Affairs, Unud KUI Coordinator, and other invitees as well as resource persons for the Education and Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Bangkok.

Vice Rector for Student Affairs Prof. I Ketut Sudarsana in his speech representing the Rector of Unud said that it was an honor for Unud to host this activity and it was a valuable opportunity to contribute to developing student potential and broadening the international horizons of Indonesian students. 

"We hope that this event can run smoothly and successfully. We believe that with the support of all parties involved, students can take part in this program well and gain useful experience," said the Vice Rector.

He also hopes that students will not only gain new knowledge and skills but can also have a positive impact on themselves and their home universities and of course on their beloved Republic of Indonesia. Currently there is only one Unud student taking part in this IISMA Thailand activity and the party hopes that in the future more Unud students will have the opportunity to be awarded as awardees in the IISMA program in the future. The Vice Rector also advised awardees to comply with all applicable regulations both in the IISMA Program and in the destination country.

Head of IISMA Program Dr.Eng. Rachmat Sriwijaya, ST., MT in his speech said that this year IISMA sent five students to three universities, namely Chulalongkorn University with five students, Mahidol University with 50 students and Prince Songkla University with 44 students. More than 100 students were sent to Thailand this year and this is an extraordinary increase from the previous year which was less than 20 students. He hopes that the Education and Cultural Attache can accompany students while they are in Thailand.

This year's IISMA program sent 2,727 students to 151 campuses in 37 countries and Thailand was one of the destinations. The selection process was tight from 15 thousand applicants. The hope is that through this program students will have increased abilities compared to before.

Academic Director of Vocational Higher Education Dr. Beny Bandanadjaja, ST., MT in his speech expressed his congratulations to the 2024 IISMA awardees and that this is a valuable opportunity to develop academic abilities and professionalism. Where you will get a very different and challenging experience in facing life and a new environment in the destination country.

Meanwhile, Education and Culture Attaché Cyti Daniela Aruan in her presentation gave a glimpse of immigration and consular services, the location of the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok and KRI Songkhla, and university life in Thailand. For university life in Thailand, undergraduate students are required to wear white and black uniforms, while postgraduate students do not have special uniforms. When exam season arrives, campuses in Thailand will be open 24 hours and students will spend the whole night studying together at the university.

Undergraduate students in Thailand do not write a thesis as a graduation requirement, but instead work on a senior project, which is a research activity carried out in groups (2-3 students) with the output in the form of a scientific conference or journal paper and disseminated in front of all lecturers and students in the department, both at undergraduate level to doctorate. Unlike the graduation procession in Indonesia which is led by the Rector of University, in Thailand the students are not graduated by the Rector of the relevant University, but are graduated directly by the reigning King or the Royal Family who represents them.