YOGYAKARTA – No fewer than 14 students from Malaysia and 5 students from Timor Leste have been accepted at Faculty of Veterinary Medicine UGM. Dean of the Faculty, Dr. drh. Joko Prastowo, said the number of international students was increasing along with the opening of international school of the Veterinary Medicine study programme. “We will prepare an international class; in the near future we will improve services and academic quality through the accreditation process at the Asean University Network,” said Joko on Friday (15/8). With these, it is expected students may have excellent skills and are more competitive.
According to Joko, veterinarians were facing challenges ahead of the Asean Single Community that will be enacted in 2015. Veterinarians have to be able to compete with others from South East Asia. They also have to be able to eradicate communicable veterinary diseases. “Around 70% diseases that infect humans are from animals. So, veterinary health is much related to public health and welfare,” he explained.