India and Syiah Kuala University in Aceh Expand Cooperation in Education

TEMPO.CO, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia - The Syiah Kuala University (USK) in Aceh expanded its cooperation in education with the Indian Government as marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on December 6, 2023, USK Rector Professor Marwan stated.

The MoU was signed by Marwan and India's Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Sandeep Chakravorty. India's Consul General in Medan City, Shubham Singh, also witnessed the signing, Prof. Marwan stated.

As revealed on USK's official website that ANTARA accessed on Saturday, December 9, 2023, Marwan highlighted the historical and cultural closeness between the people of Aceh and India.

The closeness could be traced back to the arrival of immigrants of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat whose descents could still be found in the areas of Laweung, Gigieng, and Simpang Tiga of Pidie District, he stated.

Hence, Aceh and India share similarities in terms of the culture and spicy food, he remarked, adding that India had also assisted Aceh Province in the aftermath of a deadly tsunami by building a construction service hall at the USK campus.

The university has collaborated with several reputable universities in India, such as IIT Bombay, University of Madras, Vellore Institute of Technology, Manipal University, Kurukshetra University, and Lovely Professional University, he added.

The Indian Government had also supported two USK lecturers for joining a training program in the country. In future, India would hopefully provide opportunities to USK lecturers to study in the country.

"USK has also shown its active participation in the Aceh-Andaman and Nicobar Cooperation in the joint task force for science and technology," he stated.

Through this cooperation, it offers a scholarship scheme for students from Andaman and Nicobar Islands to study at the university, Marwan remarked.

Thus, the signed MoU would pave the way for stronger cooperation in student and teaching staff exchange, joint research, academic visit, and summer course programs between USK and Indian universities, he elaborated.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Chakravorty expressed gratitude for the warm welcome received from the USK while saying that he was glad to help expand the university's cooperation with universities in India.

Chakravorty said he would support USK students keen on taking up master's or doctoral degrees at IIT Mumbai or any other university in India.

The ambassador was pleased to witness the implementation of a scholarship program, as India can offer several hundred scholarships to Indonesia, including Aceh Province, while expressing hope that the fields of cooperation would cover science and medical engineering.

ANTARA

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