ASP 2018 Encourages Multiracial and Multinational Tolerance
Kangar, July 30 - The 2018 Asian Summer Program (ASP) is a credit-based mobility program, participants of Asian universities were brought together to South Korea as Dongseo University hosted the program from July 8 to 27, recently.
Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) has sent 24 students to join the ASP for three weeks with more than 400 students from 12 countries involving 31 universities.
Among the programs of ASP 2018 is that participants need to enroll, choose and attend in two courses that scheduled daily (Monday to Friday) at 9.30 am to 4.00 pm, apart from tours, Korean Cultural Event, Sports Day, Movie Night and other interesting activities held after the lecture hours.
A second year Industrial Biotechnology student, Vinod Kumar said ASP 2018 is a unique program and strengthens the fellowship among participants which coming from different countries.
"Each student was placed with a student from different countries over the course of the three weeks, therefore, the students get a chance to learn to live harmoniously, understand and respect different cultures.
"Furthermore, ASP has also increased my understanding of living in harmony and able tolerate with other races as well as recognizing the culture of other Asian countries," he added.
Another second year Bioprocess student, Arina Izaati, who is also a member of the Student Representative Council (MPP), said that the opportunity was utilized fully when selected to participate in ASP 2018.
She said that in ASP 2018 her friends and she were able to highlight the uniqueness of Malaysian culture to other Asian counterparts.
"Moreover, my UniMAP friends and I also had the opportunity to experience going to lectures in a new atmosphere and met lecturers from different cultures and races," she said when contacted recently.
UniMAP Vice Chancellor, Dato' Prof. Dr. Zul Azhar Zahid Jamal said other than UniMAP students, teaching staff were also selected to teach for two out of the 52 courses offered by ASP 2018, which are Director of Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, Commercialization & Intellectual Properties Management Prof. Dr. Rosni Bakar and Deputy Dean (Student's Affairs & Alumni) School of Human Development and Techno-Communication (iKOM), Dr Nor'Izah Ahmad.
He said, for the selection of ASP 2018 lecturers was different from previous years as the courses offered were determined by the request of ASP participants.
"Other than Malaysia, the countries that joined ASP 2018 were Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Philippines, Thailand, Bangladesh, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Korea and Lithuania," he added.
For the record, UniMAP has hosted ASP in 2014 and 23 Asian universities participated in the program.
