Thirty international class students from the Accounting Education program at the Faculty of Economics, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), along with two lecturers and two staff members, participated in a sit-in program at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) from February 19–25, 2014. The visit, part of a six-month-planned international academic program, was slightly delayed due to the temporary closure of Adi Sutjipto Airport following the eruption of Mount Kelud.
Upon arrival, the UNY group received a warm welcome from UTM’s Faculty of Education. The program was officially opened by Prof. Dr. Mohd. Salleh bin Abu, Dean of the Faculty. The group also joined a special event commemorating the birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW, held in the faculty’s seminar room.
During the sit-in, UNY students attended three lectures across two days. Two sessions covered extracurricular program management, featuring hands-on practice using UTM’s well-equipped facilities, and one session focused on education management. In the latter, students watched three videos on assessment for learning and were asked to summarize their reflections.
On Monday, February 24, the group visited SMK Bandar Putra Kulaijaya, Malaysia, for a school observation session. The students were warmly welcomed by teachers and students, given a school tour, and invited into classrooms to observe teaching and learning activities firsthand.
The sit-in program concluded with remarks from Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Sukri bin Saud, Vice Dean I of the Faculty of Education, UTM. In his closing message, he encouraged the students by saying, “If you want to succeed, don’t just look at the stairs—try climbing them.” The experience strengthened academic ties and gave UNY students valuable international exposure.(Fadhli)
