Three students of Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta (UMJ) passed in Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) initiated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. One of the Independent Learning Independent Campus programs in 2021 provided an opportunity for students in various study programs in improving their knowledge and practical experience in the leading universities abroad. The UMJ students that passed the IISMA program were Alissa Zahrah from the Architecture department, Ranialda Hendri (Accountancy department), and Hayuni Amailia (Nursery department). They succeeded in the selection process at the University of Sussex, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and Universiti Putera Malaysia.
There are two programs launched by the Directorate of Learning and Student affairs in 2021, including IISMA conducted offline and directly study in the particular universities. “In the academic year of 2021/2022, there are 98 Indonesian universities that followed the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) 2021,” said Junaidi as the Chief of the IISMA program.
To join the program, the students should pass the selection process by submitting a specified TOEFL or IELTS score and the interview process. Alissa Zahrah, one of the UMJ students, who has returned from the United Kingdom (UK), explained that she achieved a lot of knowledge during the program, including the study experience and socio-culture in England. “To study in England was more informal and casual. The students freely asked in the class about the specific subject and personal life. It makes the students more comfortable to learn because they are so close to the lecturers and administrative staff,” she said.
Endang Zakaria, the Head of Collaboration and International Affairs (KUI) explained the high opportunity of student to follow the IISMA program. However, the students should improve their English competence because of one strict requirement conducted by the Ministry. “At least, students should prepare his TOEFL score of 550 and IELTS 6.0 as in the requirement to follow the program,” he concluded.
