Opening ceremony at Tsukuba University (Japan) in April
PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBA
Passed Japanese inspection
The University of Tsukuba (Japan) opened a new training facility at the University of Malaya (UM) campus in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) in early September, named the School of Interdisciplinary Science and Design, University of Tsukuba Malaysia. This facility offers 4-year bachelor's programs taught in Japanese, English, and Malay and is approved by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
“This is the first university to grant a Japanese degree overseas and is a groundbreaking milestone in the history of higher education in Japan,” Ikuya Sugisato, an officer in charge of international affairs at MEXT, told The PIE News . “We believe that this effort will contribute greatly to attracting students and enhancing quality-assured educational exchanges between Japan and Malaysia.”
According to Zambry Abdul Kadir, Minister of Higher Education of Malaysia, there are 13 students who have just enrolled at the new branch of the University of Tsukuba in this country, including 7 Malaysian students and 6 Japanese students. However, it is expected that most of the students in the coming time will come from Malaysia and only a few will come from Japan and ASEAN countries, including Vietnam.
Currently, the training facility has 14 permanent lecturers from both universities and about 40 more teachers from Japan will come to this branch in the future. They specialize in research in the fields of environment, information technology, comparative literature, political science... and will develop training programs with UM in data science, natural sciences, humanities...
Zambry Abdul Kadir added that the operating costs of the new branch will be borne by the University of Tsukuba, with support from the Japanese government budget. Specifically, MEXT announced last year that it would allocate 1.5 billion yen to support Japanese universities planning to open training facilities abroad, with the aim of developing students with international skills and Japanese language proficiency.
Persistent effort after 6 years
According to information from the "commander" of the Malaysian higher education sector, it took the country six years to prepare to become the first place for a Japanese university. The establishment of the University of Tsukuba branch in Malaysia was proposed by former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 2018 and is "a testament to persistent efforts", Mr. Zambry Abdul Kadir shared.
Opening Ceremony of University of Tsukuba Branch at University of Malaya Campus
According to education experts, Japanese universities opening branches abroad is an "investment" to enhance the internationalization of Japanese higher education, especially in Asia. "This branch will foster the long-term connection between Japan and Southeast Asia," Professor Akiyoshi Yonezawa, Deputy Director of the International Strategy Office at Tohoku University (Japan), told University World News .
Professor Shun Ishihara, an expert on university management at Meiji Gakuin University (Japan), said that opening new branches abroad will help Japanese universities solve the "problem" of enrollment, in the context of young Japanese people increasingly not interested in university and the birth rate gradually decreasing. This training activity also helps create a generation of students who can work in Japan, when the country is facing a shortage of skilled labor.
Study abroad country with "stopover" model
Speaking to Thanh Nien in June, Dr. Azriey Mazlan, Education Consul, Consulate General of Malaysia in Ho Chi Minh City, said that Malaysia, with many international branches of foreign universities, could become a "stopover" for Vietnamese students. That's because most of the training programs in Malaysia, both public and private, are taught in English, with students coming from 150 countries and territories, according to Mr. Azriey Mazlan.
"This helps you experience an international environment just 1-2 hours away from Vietnam by flight, while improving your English skills. In addition, Malaysian universities also have many joint training programs in countries where studying abroad is 'tightening' at affordable costs, such as Nottingham University (UK), Monash University (Australia), and Xiamen University (China)," said Mr. Azriey.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lan-dau-co-dh-nhat-ban-mo-chi-nhanh-o-nuoc-ngoai-dia-diem-gan-viet-nam-18524092019112159.htm
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