UIN Antasari Hosts 2023 Orientation for International Students, Malaysian Student: Alhamdulillah, I Can Speak a little Bit of Indonesian Now
BANJARMASIN – 29 foreign students participated in the 2023 Academic and Student Culture Introduction Program (PBAK). Despite coming from abroad, they apparently bear a resemblance to Indonesians, as they belong to the broader Malay community, originate from Malaysia and Southern Thailand.
This event was held at the Auditorium on the 3rd floor of the Faculty of Sharia Building, Campus 1 of UIN Antasari Banjarmasin, on Wednesday (10/25). The event was opened by the Vice Rector for Student Affairs and Cooperation, Dr. Irfan Noor, M.Hum.
“We want you to have the best experience during your studies here, so that when you return to your respective countries, you can become ambassadors for UIN Antasari,” hoped the graduate of Universiti Utara Malaysia with a Ph.D. in his address.
Coordinator of the Center for Cooperation and International Affairs, Nani Hizriani, M.A., explained that this year’s participants consisted of two cohorts: 22 students from the 2022 intake and 7 from the 2023 intake. They came from Sarawak (Malaysia) and Yala Province (Thailand) and were enrolled in the Faculties of Da’wah and Communication Science, Tarbiyah and Teacher Training, Sharia, and Islamic Theology and Humanities.
“This program is an implementation of internationalization and foreign cooperation with the Hikmah Sarawak Foundation (Malaysia) and Ma’had Al-Bitsat (Thailand),” the Australian graduate from the University of Canberra stated in her report.
The international students expressed their delight in getting to know the university they had joined. Especially for those who had been studying for a year, they had adjusted well and were starting to become fluent in Indonesian.
“I decided to study abroad at UIN Antasari because it sounded exciting, and the programs were reputed to be excellent. So, I hope to gain more experiences here during my studies until I graduate,” said Nur Amiratul Aisyikin Natasya, an alumna of Penrissen Sarawak Vocational High School.
This time, PBAK was limited to one day and addressed seven themes. The program start with a presentation on the history and vision of UIN Antasari by the Rector, Prof. Dr. H. Mujiburrahman, M.A., via Zoom Meeting. Other topics included Academic and Student Ethics Guidelines, Student Organizations, and Student Ethics.
Regarding services, there were presentations on Academic and Student Services, Information Technology and Database Unit Services, Entrepreneurship and Career Development Unit Services, and Library Services. The last part , which was not like the regular PBAK, contained details about information and documents for foreign student that had to do with immigration, police reports, and civil records.
There are currently 53 international students enrolled in courses at UIN Antasari.
(Public Relations)
