The 7th Review Meeting of the ASEAN International Mobility for Students Program
Updated on 07:37, Wednesday, 21/05/2014 (GMT+7)
Within the framework of the ASEAN International Mobility for Students (AIMS) Program, representatives of the Management Training and International Cooperation Offices, Hanoi University of Agriculture, attended the 7th Review Meeting of AIMS graciously hosted by the University of the Philippines Diliman, Manila, Philippines from 8 to 9 May 2014.
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The AIMS program was initiated in 2009 by Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian educators and the SEAMEO Regional Institute for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED) to create a vibrant student mobility program for citizens in the region.
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Dr. Chantavit Sujatanond, SEAMEO RIHED Special Advisor, provided progress updates of the AIMS Program with a special emphasis on the possibilities of promoting the AIMS program, including the increased committed support of the member governments, multilateral platform, flexibility and comprehensiveness, regional integration, identified study fields, and great member expansion.
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In 2013, the AIMS Program rapidly expanded to include 60 participating universities from ASEAN and Japan and strongly facilitated the student exchanges with the participation of 670 students which reached 149% compared to that of the same period in 2012. The progress report further figured out shortcomings, challenges and respective solutions towards management capacity improvement and sustainability of the AIMS Program. Participating representatives from the Ministries of Education of the member countries in turn reported progress of their student exchanges.
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The two day review meetings provided participating universities with a forum to discuss and share their training programs, and student exchanges. Nevertheless, the bilateral and multilateral cooperation agreements on student exchanges with new partners hasn’t been seen as much as expected due to the divergence of training programs, credit transfer system, academic calendar, language and cultural barriers, budget constraints and high living costs in the host countries.
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Under the AIMS collaboration plan established in 2012 with Sriwijaya University and Sebelas Maret University (Indonesia), 05 Indonesian students will enroll in the advanced training program of crop science at HUA (2014-2015 academic year). With a desire to get more HUA students, Sriwijaya University and Tsukuba University agreed to offer partial supports for HUA students which are expected to draw more participation in joint training and/or student exchange programs in the coming years and further to promote bilateral AIMS cooperation balance between universities.