Universitas PGRI Semarang (UPGRIS) is exploring collaborations with Dhurakij Pundit University, Thailand, and a number of Indonesian universities that are members of the Association of Moslem Community in Asean (AMCA).
UPGRIS Rector, Dr Sri Suciati, M.Hum, said that one of the aspects strengthened in the collaboration was in the field of research. In addition, it also collaborates in other forms such as visiting professors, publications, and student exchanges.
“The possible collaboration to be implemented in the short term is research and publication. This collaboration certainly helps each other between universities, especially those who are members of the AMCA community,” said the rector after signing the collaboration manuscript at Campus IV UPGRIS, Saturday 28 January 2023.
The Rector explained that UPGRIS had actually been implemented previously in terms of student exchanges and internships. The AMCA community was initiated by Muhammadiyah University of Malang.
Suci said collaboration between campuses is mutually beneficial. Each university can complement the other according to its strengths.
“The collaboration can be done simultaneously or all at once. We can also invite other students to study at our place, and vice versa,” she said.
She added that currently lecturers are required to have certain achievements by carrying out the Tridarma of higher education on other campuses. While so far the implementation of the Tridarma has only been carried out on their respective campuses.
Meanwhile, the Head of the UPGRIS International Affairs Office, Dr. Nur Hidayat M.Hum, stated that the collaboration was in keeping with the implementation of the Merdeka Learning Campus Merdeka (MBKM) Programme, both at the student and lecturer levels.
“We also collaborate with other campuses in Thailand. Recently, we sent our students to practice teaching in a number of schools in southern Thailand,” he explains.