Taiwan- The Faculty of Teacher Training and Education at Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Surabaya (Unusa) has officially established a partnership with the Hua-Shi College of Education at National Dong Hwa University (NDHU), Taiwan, Republic of China. This collaboration is formalized through a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) that encompasses student exchange programs, research collaboration, community service, and visiting scholars. The agreement is signed by Dr. Muhammad Thamrin Hidayat, Dean of Faculty of Teacher Training and Education Unusa, and Professor Pan Wen-Fu, Dean of Hua-Shi College of Education NDHU.
The signing ceremony takes place on December 25th, 2024, in Room A309 of Hua-Shi College of Education. Representatives from NDHU included Professor Pan Wen-Fu and Professor Ivy Hsieh, while Unusa is represented by Dr. Achmad Syafiuddin, Head of the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) at Unusa, Dr. Mustofa, a lecturer of the Master’s Program in Elementary Education, and Dr. Ubaidillah Zuhdi, Dean of the Faculty of Economics Business and Technology Digital at Unusa.
The immediate realization of this partnership will focus on a graduate student exchange program. As outlined in Articles 4.1, 4.7, and 4.9 of the MoA, each university may send two full-time students for a year-long exchange or four full-time students for a semester exchange annually. Notably, tuition fees will be waived for participating students during their exchange at NDHU, Taiwan.
Dr. Muhammad Thamrin Hidayat expresses his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “We believe this collaboration will open significant opportunities for both faculty and students to expand their academic horizons and gain international experience. This is a concrete step toward positioning Faculty of Teacher Training and Education Unusa as one of the leading education faculties on an international level.”
Professor Pan Wen-Fu also highlights the importance of the collaboration. “This partnership goes beyond student and research exchanges; it is a strategic move to build mutually beneficial global connections between the two institutions,” he said.
Through this MoA, Unusa and NDHU committe to advancing globally-oriented higher education. This initiative underscores Unusa’s active role in fostering international partnerships to produce competitive graduates in an increasingly globalized era.