February 6, 2025

Banjarmasin – The Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) of Lambung Mangkurat University (ULM), through the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) Unit, has once again accepted foreign students in the South East Asia (SEA) Teacher program, which is an international field experience program (PPL) implemented by 11 member countries of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO). In this 10th batch of the SEA Teacher program, FKIP ULM welcomed two students from Mariana Marcos State University, Philippines, namely Ervin Cedric S. Alejo from the Physical Education department and Kate Alyssa R. Rosete from the Cultural Arts Education department.

These two students were welcomed in the Utility Building meeting room on Thursday, February 6, by the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, Deasy Arisanty; Vice Dean for Student Affairs and Alumni, Ali Rachman; Head of the MBKM Unit, Raisa Fadilla; Head of the Cooperation and Public Relations Management Unit (UPKH), Emma Rosana Febriyanti; Secretary of the MBKM Unit, Arum Murdianingsih and Muhammad Arsyad; Secretary of UPKH for Cooperation, Nahdia Fitri Rahmaniah; and Secretary of UPKH for Public Relations, Dewi Alfianti. In her speech, Deasy stated the importance of foreign students as a measure of campus inclusiveness and proof that the campus is globally minded and meets international accreditation standards.

According to Raisa, this is the first time FKIP ULM has collaborated with Mariano Marcos State University in the SEA Teacher program. “Hopefully, this program will run smoothly, and expectations for the program will be met. The expected outcome is that the two students will not only improve their teaching skills but also gain a better understanding of culture. Hopefully, this collaboration with the university will continue in the future with other programs,” she said.

These foreign students will participate in the PPL program at SMKN 4 Banjarmasin for one month before returning to their home countries. They will be accompanied by supervising teachers from SMKN 4 and Field Supervisors (DPL) from the Physical Education Study Program (PS) and the Performing Arts Education Study Program (PSP). The two students were officially escorted to SMKN 4 Banjarmasin on Friday, February 7, by the MBKM FKIP ULM team.