Yogyakarta- Nine students of Ehime University, Japan, joined Universitas Gadjah Mada’s Community Empowerment Student Field Practice (KKN PPM UGM), 10-19 August 2011. For 10 days, the Japanese students from Faculty of Agriculture, Law and Literature will be assigned to Wonolelo Village, Sawangan Sub-district, Magelang Regency.
According to Chairman of KKN PPM UGM- Ehime University, Dr. Mirwan Ushadda, S.T.P., M. App. Life. Sc, KKN PPM this year raised the theme about disaster management. “The students of Ehime University plan to make leaflets on disaster awareness, particularly Merapi disaster and earthquake, to elementary school students,” Mirwan said to reporters at LPPM UGM conference room, Tuesday (9/8).
Mirwan said that the program followed by the students of Ehime University is one of implementations of the MoU between Ehime University and UGM which has been initiated by Faculty of Agricultural Technology. The Development of the MoU initiated since year 2008 is the formation of consortium involving several other universities outside UGM namely ITB, Hasanuddin University, Ehime University, Kochi University and Kagawa University. “This is an educative program and is very beneficial to give education about the importance of disaster awareness,” the faculty member of Agricultural Industrial Technology UGM said.
Previously, in year 2009 a similar program of KKN PPM UGM with Ehime University was conducted in Salam, Magelang and Piyungan, Bantul. Furthermore, in 2010 it was located in Wates and Gunung Kidul. Meanwhile, student supervisor from Ehime University, Prof. Ruth Vergin, expected that from this event benefits can be gained for both sides because there are also UGM students who follow international program in Ehime University.
Ruth Vergin also hoped that after completing the program, her students can gain experiences and latest study, particularly related to disaster management. “(It is about) How students can get involved and gain knowledge from the KKN PPM,” Ruth said.
The Ehime University students joining the KKN PPM program hope to get real benefit after coming to the location of KKN. Yonemuri Megumi expected that the experience of handling disaster management that also happened in Japan last March could be shared with UGM students and the community on the location. “We hope to be able to share experience and knowledge,” Migumi said.
The similar statement was also delivered by an UGM student who followed international course in Ehime, Maulana. According to Maulana, besides learning Japanese language, they also can deepen agricultural science and technology in Japan which is quite developed. “It is very beneficial because we can learn language, history or Japanese agriculture and technology which are quite developed,” the student of Faculty of Agricultural Technology UGM said.