Yogyakarta — Approximately 20 students from various departments at the University College of MAIWP International (UCMI), Malaysia, participated in a Fieldwork program as part of an academic collaboration between UCMI and Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. The program lasted for seven days and served as part of efforts to strengthen international academic networking in the fields of education and health.
During the program, the UCMI students resided at Pondok Pesantren Ar-Risalah Yogyakarta. The Islamic boarding school functioned not only as temporary accommodation for the participants throughout the program, but also as a space for cultural and Islamic interaction for the international students.
The Fieldwork program consisted of various academic activities and introductions to the education systems of each institution, including scholarly discussions, learning observations, and exposure to the social and cultural context of Yogyakarta society. Through this collaboration, UCMI, UIN Sunan Kalijaga, and PP Al-Risalah aim to broaden students’ global perspectives and strengthen cross-national cooperation in higher education.
In addition to academic activities, the participants also gained firsthand experience of pesantren life and local culture during their stay at Pondok Pesantren Ar-Risalah. This experience is expected to enrich students’ perspectives not only in academic terms, but also in their understanding of social and Islamic values in Indonesia. This program represents a strategic step in promoting the internationalization of higher education institutions and strengthening relations between educational institutions in Indonesia and Malaysia, particularly in the development of human resources in the fields of medicine and health