PENANG, November 2014 - 11 students of The Hiroshima University (HU), Japan were excited to have experienced the cultural diversity and social harmony in the country, specifically among the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) campus community.

They are the third group that are involved in HU-USM Student Exchange Forum from 22 to 30 November in USM which was also attended by 12 USM students from the School of Educational Studies, School of Social Sciences, School of Industrial Technology, etc.

HU's student representative, Mutsumi Eda said they are excited to have the opportunity to be here at USM and embody the diversity, while attending various academic programmes that help them in their personal development.

“We have exchanged experiences and share the cultural diversity that exists in both countries. The programme is highly relevant to the current world situation that demands students to have a global mindset and be competitive.

“We are very happy to join this programme and hope it will continue to ensure that the network developed remains stronger,'' he said.

In the meantime, the Vice-Chancellor of USM, Professor Dato' Dr. Omar Osman said, students are urged to equip themselves with global communication skills and develop networking with their peers in other countries.

He said that such a forum can be a platform for students to initiate their steps to expand networking for the international joint venture and have intensive discussions on educational development globally.

“Find friends, do collaboration and take advantage on the diversity that exists to explore opportunities to improve skills and potentials. Students are the future leaders of their country.

“USM is committed to support the students in building their networking for the sake of knowledge through international collaborations,'' he said.

Omar said this while attending a friendly session with the HU delegation and USM students who are involved. Also present were the Dean of School of Educational Studies, Prof. Dato' Dr. Abdul Rashid Mohamed and the Head of Delegation, Prof. Norihiro Kuroda. - Translation: Siti Faizah Abd Halim/Text: Marziana Mohamed Alias/Photo: Mohd. Fairus Md. Isa