UNAIR NEWS – Officials of Universitas Airlangga have released 13 students of Tanah Air Nusantara Student Exchange Program (PERMATA), on Tuesday, January 17. The 13 students were from four universities in Indonesia, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Universitas Tadulako, Universitas Syah Kuala, and Universitas Sam Ratulangi. Beside studied in UNAIR, they have participated in various activities in UNAIR in order to develop their soft skill.

For six months in UNAIR, they took part in various activities such as Thematic KKN-BBM with international students,  Airlangga International Student Competition and International Student Summit (AISC-ISS) 2016, also a comparative study and youth conference held by BEM UNAIR.

“Those various activities were to expand friendships, knowledge and develop togetherness and concern towards the life of one nation, growing love towards friends and fellows of the nation,” said Prof. Dr. Ni Nyoman Tri Puspaningsih, Dra., M.Si., the Director of Education UNAIR.

The students’ release was held in Kahuripan Hall 301, Management Office Building, Campus C UNAIR. After the event, the thirteen students will go to PDD UNAIR Banyuwangi for comparative study and to see UNAIR campus in Banyuwangi.

With the end of PERMATA Program in UNAIR, Prof. Nyoman hoped that students can be more open with its knowledge. Prof. Nyoman said that most of the students said that the lessons they learned in UNAIR classes were more difficult than the lessons they got in their universities. In terms of regulations, UNAIR was also considered to be stricter with more disciplines.

“Hopefully, their softskill was improved and they got greater concern. They were given knowledge of living outside their community so in other community they still can socialize in it. With friends or local community, with different culture, self-maturity is most important,” said Prof. Nyoman.

With the release of the 13 students, UNAIR students in the same program are also coming back to UNAIR. They are six students from PDD Banyuwangi.

“So does for UNAIR students, hopefully they were motivated to study seriously. Concern with other regions outside East Java with poor condition, service and facilities compared to East Java,” said the Professor of Biochemistry of UNAIR. (*)

Author : Binti Q. Masruroh
Editor: Nuri Hermawan