2025.1.27-2.22

Multicultural co-curricular exchange teaching practicum SEA-Teacher Program (4th pilot batch) implemented

As the only affiliate member of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) in Japan, University of Tsukuba has been collaborating with SEAMEO in various programs. One of the partnership programs is the SEA-Teacher Program, a one-month teaching practicum exchange program between three Southeast Asian countries and Japan.

This year was the fourth pilot batch, and from January 27 to February 22, 2025, six students from　University of Tsukuba were dispatched to the partner universities: Khon Kaen University in Thailand, Indonesia University of Education in Indonesia, and Central Luzon State University in the Philippines. The students from the said universities stayed at Senior High School at Sakado, University of Tsukuba (UTSS) for the same duration. The unique feature of this program is that students from universities in the three other countries are sent to universities in a different country and work together with their instructors and schools.

The following are the comment from the UT student who participated in the program:
“I participated in this program to gain an international perspective, and the results exceeded my expectations. Participants from Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines have different religions and cultural backgrounds from myself, and I learned a lot from living together with them. The experience of teaching in English was very challenging, but I was able to overcome various barriers by learning how to adapt with the participants. Challenges and barriers were enjoyable with them.”

The courses for this program was chosen as one of the multicultural co-curricular subject under the “Nurturing Global start-uppers through GASSHUKU and DOJO,” adopted by the University as part of MEXT's “Multicultural Campus Project Toward Social Impact,” and the program aims to nurture teachers who can transcend national borders and become active on the global stage.

SEAMEO and MEXT expect many universities in Japan to participate in this program. Following last year, a special session entitled “Teaching Practicum under Multicultural Environment” was held on the second day of the 13th SEAMEO University of Tsukuba Symposium on February 6 and 7 to extend the program to universities in Japan. Host faculty, staff, and students discussed the program's participation methods, attractiveness, and challenges. Know-how has been accumulated. We look forward to the participation of universities in Japan and welcome inquiries.

UT students giving classes in the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia

Upper left: A group photo with Thai students, Upper right: Cultural exchange in the Philippines, Lower left: Making batik (Indonesian traditional cloth) as an extracurricular activity, Lower right: With fellow SEA-Teachers in the Philippines

Students from the Philippines giving a class at UTSS

SEAMEO secretariat with students from Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines who joined the SEA-Teacher session at the 13th SEAMEO Tsukuba University Symposim

SEA-Teachers at UTSS visiting University of Tsukuba with teachers and students of UTSS and joined the session with UT students who are taking teacher license course