By Saiful Bahri Kamaruddin
Pix  Shahiddan Saidi

BANGI, 19 August 2015 – International students who took part in the three-week long 7^th UKM-Global Student Mobility Partnerships (UKM-GSMP) hosted by the National University of Malaysia (UKM) can transfer four credit hours to their degrees when they return to their home universities.

Their time spent in Malaysia learning about the country’s natural heritage in theory and practice has been time well spent, said Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof Dato’ Ir Dr Riza Atiq Abdullah O.K. Rahmat.

The program aims to provide more information for the participants compared to the previous stint, said the Deputy Vice-Chancellor when closing the 7th UKM-GSMP here today.

“The participants’ fieldtrips to Langkawi and Danum Valley by the Sustainability of Tropical Heritage (STH) course went very well and much was discussed and shared. UKM takes special pride in these places because it was through our conservation and research efforts that Langkawi was accorded the Geopark status by UNESCO, while many of our researchers are leading research in the Danum Valley,” he told the 44 local and international  participants at the conclusion of the mobility programme.

He stated that with such understanding to their surroundings, the students could return richer with experience and make better decisions that will benefit all.

“The leaders will think of themselves as a global citizen, not restricting themselves to a particular nation,”  he explained.

The UKM-GSMP is a summer inbound program, which usually takes place in July – August annually. This year’s programme international students  joined local undergraduates in three weeks of educational tour at Langkawi, Kedah and the Danum valley in Sabah.

With the theme “Building Bridges for International Understanding and Friendship”, this programme also aim to promote the awareness about the sustainable ecology and multiple unique cultures as well as to raise the  profile of UKM and Malaysia as a world class international educational hub.

Coordinated by UKM’s  International Relations Centre (UKM Global) with collaboration from various UKM faculties and institutes, international students got the opportunity to combine campus life at one of Malaysia’s leading universities and experiencing the true nature and culture of Asia.

Under this programme, students stay and learn in multicultural Malaysia for a month. During this time, participants get to visit an ancient land mass with its ecology, unique flora and fauna, not seen in other parts of the world.