Yogyakarta State University and the Association of Visual Arts Teachers of Kedah, Malaysia initiated the cooperation with the signing of Letter of Intent (LoI) at the LKBH Meeting Room of the University, the signing of the LoI was represented by Puan Azizah Ibrahim from SMK Tengku Seri Indera Putra and Dr. Widyastuti Purbani from the Faculty of Languages and Arts, UNY, Friday, July 28, 2017.
Dr.rer.nat. Senam, Vice Rector for Cooperation and Development UNY explained that the process of signing the Letter of Intent is essential for cooperation between vocational teachers in Malaysia and Indonesia. In line with UNY's vision of 2025, which gained international recognition of the quality of its education, to achieve that vision requires the support of international partners, "he said.”This is an opportunity to establish cooperation especially in the field of exchange of vocational teachers for teaching practices where in Malaysia hours for secondary school art learning per week has reached 9 hours per week, this is certainly different from in Indonesia where art teaching hours in High School Still in the range of 2 hours per week.
Meanwhile, Dr.Widyastuti Purbani, expressed her appreciation for the Kedah Art Teacher Association in responding to the cooperation activities. The signing of Letter of Intent is expected to be a bridge for art teachers in Indonesia and Malaysia. UNY is closely associated with teacher associations where FBS as an art teacher's master is at the same time home to a collection of dance, music, craft and art teachers. "This Letter of Intent could have a wider influence on other art teachers, not just limited to visual arts," the Dean said.
Puan Azizah Ibrahim as the representative of the Association also thanked UNY for the excellent reception. "We hope our teachers can practice teaching in Indonesia and of course the program will be very useful for us to understand the art of craft in Indonesia." she also believes that one example of art craft that can be learned in Indonesia is batik, where batik Malaysia and Indonesia have a fundamental difference. "Batik in Indonesia is very complex and detailed," she said.
This visit is the first official visit from the Association of Visual Arts Teachers, Kedah to UNY and it is expected that future cooperation will be more beneficial both parties. (Andre / kuik)