15 UniMAP Students Attend Asia Summer Programme 2016 in Bangkok

Padang Besar, 10 July – 15 Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) students departed to Bangkok from the Padang Besar KTM Railway Station to attend the Asia Summer Programme 2016 (ASP 2016) hosted by Bangkok University.

The programme which will take place for 3 weeks until 30 July is an annual event now in its fifth year, said UniMAP Vice Chancellor Dato’ Prof. Dr. Zul Azhar Zahid Jamal.

He stated that involvement of UniMAP students in the event is part of the internationalisation initiative intended to heighten the aspects of leadership, communication and teamwork between UniMAP students and participants from other Asian universities.

“UniMAP is the sole Malaysian university to attend ASP 2016 and our students will be escorted by five staff members led by the Director of the UniMAP Centre for International Language Prof. Dr. Harshita Aini Haroon,” he said in a statement here today.

ASP 2016 is an academic programme which involves a number of study hours and this year it is attended by 121 students from 16 universities, with 15 observers,

26 courses are offered in the programme with the events to be held in the City Campus and Rangsit Campus of Bangkok University.

Meanwhile, leader of the UniMAP students, Lum Ja Son, 21, from Kuala Lumpur, felt fortunate they are able to participate in ASP 2016 even though they have to sacrifice their own semester break.

“The opportunity to join ASP 2016 is rare and is very much worth forfeiting our semester holidays for. Not every student has the chance to participate in a prestigious event such as this.

He further explained that after his ASP 2016 participation was announced last April, he and his friends had to make preparations, including dance training practice for the cultural night while simultaneously being busy studying for the final exams of the semester.

“I am proud to be representing UniMAP and receiving full support from my family even with the limited time available to prepare for this event,” said the first year Engineering Entrepreneurship student from the UniMAP School of Business Innovation and Technopreneurship (PPIPT).

Second year New Media Communication student Kamaliah Mohamad, 22, of Kelantan said that she had to give up celebrating Aidilfitri with her family this year.

Upon returning to Perlis on the second day of Eid, she stated that numerous preparations had to be done including making traditional food and dance costumes for the traditional food festival and their ASP performance.

“Because of this, my companions and I had to return to Perlis earlier and we have no regrets sacrificing our holidays because our roles here can be considered as being minor ambassadors for UniMAP and Malaysia,” she declared.