UNAIR NEWS – Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), through the Faculty of Public Health (FKM) and Airlangga Global Engagement (AGE), welcomed a visit from the Instituto Nacional de Saúde Pública de Timor-Leste (INSP-TL) on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in the Dayak Room, 4th Floor of the ASEEC Tower, Dharmawangsa-B Campus, UNAIR.
Representatives from INSP-TL, including Dr. Merita Antonia Armando Amaral and Dr. Julio Aparicio, the Executive Director of Timor-Leste’s Human Resource Development Fund, attended the visit. Also present were members of the National Institute of Public Health of Timor-Leste (NIPH-TL).
On behalf of UNAIR, Prof. Iman Harymawan, SE, MBA, PhD, Director of AGE, and Prof. Dr. drg. Nyoman Anita Damayanti, MS, Vice Dean I of FKM UNAIR, welcome the delegates with other faculty members. Prof. Nyoman Anita extended her warm welcome and expressed gratitude for the ongoing collaboration over the past few years. “Thank you for collaborating with UNAIR over the past few years,” she remarked.
Development cooperation
During the meeting, Dr. Julio expressed his hope to continue collaborating with UNAIR, particularly in the fields of health, engineering, and community law.
“In 2024, we are prioritizing advancements in health, engineering, and law, which is why we are partnering with several universities. We hope UNAIR can support this collaboration by accepting our students, enabling us to continue this partnership for the next five to ten years,” he stated.
In response, Prof. Nyoman Anita indicated that there are ample opportunities to extend the collaboration. She mentioned that the collaboration could also expand into research and community service. “Beyond education, we can collaborate on research, community service, and publications. We will focus on collaboration,” she emphasized.
Funding Issues
Aside from development collaboration, the visit also highlighted student funding issues. Ms. Livia N. M. G. Babo, MSc, National Director of Human Resources at NIPH-TL, discussed the issue of tuition payments for Timor-Leste students, which are currently deferred.
She explained that this deferral was due to documentation errors and misunderstandings regarding technical matters. In response, UNAIR assured that they would ensure the smooth operation of the funding system. “We will make sure that the old account is still active and we will resend the necessary details to resolve the payment issues,” she asserted.
Author: Ahmad Hanif Musthafa
Editor: Yulia Rohmawati
