By Nina Christelle Sumintac, Stratcom Correspondent 

Ten senior students from three universities in Indonesia are currently at the Mariano Marcos State University for their teaching internship under the Pre-Service Student Teacher Exchange in Southeast Asia (SEA Teacher) project. 

Mirda Latifah, Beniing Anggraeni, and Niken Ewitardiyanti of the Mulawarman University; Aureliana Ditasari, Astiya Putra Rashit, Batrisia Suroya, and Dharma Zulvia of Universitas Islam Indonesia; Adela Dhania, Dicky Afrian, and Yola Kartika Susma of University of Jami started their internship at the MMSU Laboratory Schools in Laoag on September 15. 

For one month, the pre-service student teachers will take teaching practicum and observations at the elementary and junior high school levels. 

ULS Principal Philistia Mercuria Bagayas welcomed the foreign students and assured them the school will provide a fruitful and rewarding teaching internship experience. 

Prof. Jeanette Dials, international faculty and student mobility chief, said MMSU has been a host university of the SEA Teacher project since 2016. The university has already accommodated eight batches of 49 foreign students through the program.  

For her part, MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis expressed her enthusiasm for this international collaboration. She urged the student-teachers to state the strengths and weaknesses of the university to emphasize the importance of cultural exchange and educational enrichment, “The beauty of internationalization is we can both learn something from one another,” she said.

This program of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) aims to provide an opportunity for foreign students to have teaching experiences (practicum) in other schools within the Southeast Asian region. (JVBT/DPT, StratCom)