This event invited Abdul Basith Fithroni, a master’s student in the Department of Cell Chemistry, Okayama University; Prof. Ying Chen from the Tohoku University School of Engineering; Junko Obayashi from Okayama University; Muhammad Salman Al Farisi, Asst. Prof. Hiroshima City University; and Muhammad Izzat Nugraha, an alumnus of Biological Oceanography Laboratory, Tohoku University.

Also attending the event was the Vice-Rector for Academic and Student Affairs UNS, Prof. Ahmad Yunus; Head of the Japanese PPI for Research and Education Department, Mercy Bientri Yunindanova, M.Sc.; Head of International Office UNS, Rino Ardhian Nugroho, Ph.D.; and Head of PSJ UNS, Dr. Eng Kusumaningdyah N. Handayani.

In her remarks, Mercy Bientri Yunindanova, M.Sc., who is also a lecturer at the Faculty of Agriculture (FP) UNS, said that this activity is one of the special moments for uniting three institutions in a collaboration.

“This special event will provide a lot of insight about studies in Japan, such as through the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) program from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemdikbudristek). Then also for students who will continue their master’s and doctoral studies in Japan. I believe that this activity will bring many benefits to all parties,” Mercy said.

Meanwhile, Rino Ardhian Nugroho, Ph.D., also hopes that this activity can help students plan their studies in Japan according to the invited speakers’ academic experience. “Hopefully, we can also build a good partnership with Tohoku University and Okayama University. There are numerous Japan University graduates currently holding strategic positions in UNS. Further, hopefully, this activity can increase international academic activities among these three universities,” Rino said.

Prof. Ahmad Yunus also hopes that this activity can help introduce the culture and academic climate in Japanese universities. “There are several programs available for students to study in Japan. One of them is IISMA that open to undergraduate students in Indonesia. Through this program, students have the opportunity to study for a semester there. There are many Japanese campuses available as UNS partners university, including Tohoku University and Okayama University. I hope that this activity can inspire and give insight to the younger generation,” said Prof. Yunus.

After the remarks, the activity was followed by the presentation of material by all speakers. The materials presented include university introductions, inbound program, culture, academic activities, and life in Japan. Humas UNS

Reporter: Bayu Aji Prasetya
Editor: Dwi Hastuti

The post Introducing Culture and Education in Japan, PSJ UNS Hosted Open Campus Session appeared first on Universitas Sebelas Maret.

The webinar on Saturday (19/2/2022) invited three speakers, David Virya Chen, Ph.D., a specially appointed researcher in Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University; Asst. Prof. Miftakhul Huda, Assistant Professor di Nagoya University; and Murni Ramli, M.Si., Ed.D.; Faculty Member of Biology Education UNS. The opening remark was delivered by Prof. Yusli Wardianto, the Educational and Cultural Attache of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) Tokyo, and Prof. Sajidan, the Vice-Rector for Planning, Partnership, Business, and Information Affairs UNS.

In his opening remark, Chairman of PSJ UNS, Dr. Eng. Kusumaningdyah Nurul Handayani hoped that the webinar could benefit all participants. “We hoped that the partnership agenda prepared with PPI Japan could be implemented in the future,” Dr. Eng. Kusumaningdyah stated.

Prof. Sajidan also appreciated the collaboration and hoped that students in Japan could contribute to the nation’s development, although they are far away from Indonesia. “I am happy with the spirits of PPI Japan hopefully, after you graduate, you can come back to build Indonesia to be in the same level as Japan,” Prof. Sajidan stated. Prof. Yusli Wardianto supported Prof. Sajidan and stated that although they are abroad, it is expected that they will contribute to the nation. “I hoped we could take a synthesis from the speakers,” he stated.

The first speaker, David Virya Chen, Ph.D., discussed Covid-19 and the role of the vaccine. He compared the immune system and kitchen in the sense that the immune system is like kitchen components that are only included when we open their containers. He also emphasized the importance of vaccine distribution before the booster program. The second speaker, Asst. Prof. Miftakhul Huda shared material on an education program in Japan during the pandemic situation. He stated that not all schools in Japan were ready when the government applied Covid-19 emergency. The condition led to non-intensive materials provided by teachers, with some of them only providing their students with pdf or video materials. “Only around 9% uses two-way media like Zoom,” he stated.

The last material from Murni Ramli, M.Si., Ed.D., discussed the readiness and importance of face-to-face learning amid the pandemic in Indonesia. She stated that during the pandemic, the learning activities remain under control under curriculum, actors, or facilitators in the teaching and learning process. The only difference was that the teacher’s portion was reduced, and the parents and online portion increased. “Teachers use diverse online learning platforms from group chat with parents to a complex learning management system,” she explained. She added that according to the Kemdikbudristek survey, only 46% of Indonesian teachers are ready with information technology skills, resulting in technology cluelessness. Some students also don’t have good internet access and appropriate tools to access the internet. Humas UNS

Reporter: Bayu Aji Prasetya
Editor: Dwi Hastuti

The post PSJ UNS Held Webinar Discussing Education Readiness amid the Covid-19 Pandemic appeared first on Universitas Sebelas Maret.