The Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) Sebelas Maret University (UNS) Surakarta happily welcomed the arrival of 3 foreign students from the Philippines to take part in the SEA-Teacher Batch-9th program. The arrival of the students from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) was welcomed directly by the Deputy Dean for Academic Research and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. Slamet Subiyantoro.
The three students will take part in the SEA-Teacher Batch-9th program at FKIP UNS from 30 August 2023 to 28 September 2023. The first student, Kristine Althea Morado comes from the Secondary Education field. Next, Ezra Phoebe Claire Sarajan and Ma. Angeline Nicole Gonzales is from the Early Childhood Education field.
SEA-Teacher or Pre-Service Student Teacher Exchange in Southeast Asia is a teaching internship program organized by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) to improve the quality of education in Southeast Asia. This project is based on SEAMEO’s seven priority areas for eleven SEAMEO member countries working together to improve the quality of education in Southeast Asia, including “Revitalization of Teacher Education” which is one of the priorities in building and strengthening teacher capacity in the region.
The duration of this program is one month and is based on a cost sharing mechanism. Student roles and responsibilities are assigned weekly over a one-month period, such as conducting observations, helping teach, teaching, and reflecting on results. In addition, the host university will provide mentors to guide students during the internship period.
As a facilitator in the SEA-Teacher program, the International Office (IO) FKIP UNS plays an important role in preparing for the arrival of foreign students from the Philippines. IO FKIP UNS has collaborated with the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in developing an internship program that suits the needs and potential of students who will intern at schools in Surakarta.
Apart from that, IO FKIP UNS has also coordinated foreign student arrival activities ranging from transportation, accommodation, to social and cultural activities while in Surakarta. This is done so that foreign students from the Philippines can feel comfortable and helped while taking part in the SEA-Teacher program at FKIP UNS.
IO FKIP UNS also took part in holding initial organizations for newly arrived foreign students so that they could introduce them to the campus environment and local culture, as well as provide information regarding the Indonesian language, ways of living and acting in Indonesia. It is hoped that with the role of IO FKIP UNS, the SEA-Teacher program can run smoothly and provide optimal benefits for both parties. Hopefully the presence of foreign students from the Philippines can bring benefits and goodness to FKIP UNS and strengthen relations between Indonesia and the Philippines in the field of education.
