Unib sends students on ASEAN teaching practicum to boost future teacher competence

The Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) at Universitas Bengkulu (Unib) has sent nine students to participate in the ASEAN Practical Field Experience (PPL) Programme in Malaysia and Thailand in 2025, as part of efforts to enhance the global competence of prospective teachers through overseas teaching experience. “This year we are sending students to the Learning Centre under the Indonesian School of Kuala Lumpur (SIKL) in Malaysia and to Sangkhon Islam Wittaya School in Thailand,” said Dr Rio Kurniawan, Vice Dean for Student Affairs at FKIP Unib, in Bengkulu on Tuesday. Rio explained that the student dispatch is part of the SEA-Teacher Programme within the framework of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), a mobility programme for education students in Southeast Asia that provides opportunities for students to carry out teaching practice abroad. According to him, the programme aims to improve the quality of prospective teachers through cross-country teaching experience, strengthen international-standard pedagogical competence, broaden global perspectives, and foster understanding of cultural diversity and education systems in the Southeast Asian region. “This programme is part of the internationalisation strategy for higher education that encourages students to have a global perspective in educational practice while strengthening academic networks among universities in the Southeast Asian region,” said Rio. The experience not only enhances students’ academic and professional capacity but also builds international communication skills, adaptability in multicultural environments, and the professional attitude needed to face the challenges of global education. For Universitas Bengkulu, particularly FKIP, the programme provides a strategic contribution to strengthening the implementation of higher education internationalisation, expanding academic partnership networks in Southeast Asia, and enhancing the institution’s reputation at both regional and international levels. In addition to sending students abroad, FKIP Unib also receives foreign students from various partner universities to conduct teaching practice in partner schools in Indonesia through a reciprocal exchange scheme as a mutually beneficial academic collaboration.