As part of strengthening international cooperation in higher education, the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (FTUI) conducted an official visit to Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP), Malaysia, on Monday (June 16). The visit was marked by the signing of an Agreement of Intent (AOI) regarding a student exchange program between the two institutions.
The agreement was signed by the Dean of FTUI, Prof. Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., and UTP’s Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Saravanan Muthiah. The agreement encompasses student mobility programs for both degree and non-degree students from both parties. One of the key implementations will be FTUI’s participation as an educational partner in UTP’s Integrated Engineering Program, which is scheduled to launch next year.
During the meeting, both institutions also discussed potential collaboration in digital education through the sharing of teaching modules using a hybrid system. The discussion highlighted the development of international students at UTP, including challenges related to English language proficiency. UTP stated that international students from East Asia, the Middle East, and Africa who do not meet UTP’s English language requirements are required to undertake a foundation language program for a duration ranging from one semester to one year.
Additionally, FTUI and UTP agreed to develop a non-degree joint short course program to be offered to students from both institutions. The program aims to broaden students’ global insights and skills while strengthening academic ties across countries.
Prof. Kemas stated, “This collaboration is a strategic step in expanding FTUI’s international network while offering broader and more inclusive learning opportunities for students. We believe that student exchange and cross-border digital education will be key in preparing the next generation of adaptive and globally competitive engineers.”
Representing UTP, Prof. Tang Tong Boon, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, expressed his appreciation for FTUI’s visit and the collaborative spirit established. “We welcome this collaboration as it aligns with UTP’s commitment to building an internationally scaled engineering education network. The student exchange program and jointly developed teaching initiatives with FTUI will create significant opportunities for our students to thrive in a dynamic global environment,” he stated.
The FTUI delegation included the Dean, Prof. Dr. Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., and the Manager of Partnership and International Education, Dr. Andyka Kusuma, S.T., M.Sc. UTP was represented by Mr. Saravanan Muthiah, Vice Provost for Student Affairs; Mr. Azrul Hasyimi Zabidi, Senior Manager of the Student Mobility Office; Associate Professor Ir Dr. Haslinda Zabiri, Chair of Chemical Engineering; Dr. Chu Yih Bing, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering; Mrs. Khairunnisa Aimi Ghazali, Senior Executive at the Student Mobility Office; and Mrs. Anies Farahin Abdul Rahman, Executive at the Student Mobility Office.
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Faculty of Engineering Universitas Indonesia