Johor Bahru, 9 July, 2018 – A delegation from The United States of America comprising 2 professors and 13 participants is currently participating in a one-month Global Teach Agriculture to Malaysia programme hosted by the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities (FSSH), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). Funded by Fullbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad grant, this programme is a joint project involving four universities; UTM, Pennsylvania State University, Iowa State University and Hawkeye Community College. The delegation is headed by Dr. Daniel D. Foster, an Associate Professor specialising in Agriculture Education and Dr. Melanie Miller Foster, an Assistant Professor at the International College of Agricultural Sciences at Pennsylvania State University. This collaborative project which involves Dr. Nur Husna Abdul Wahid, a Senior Lecturer from FSSH UTM as well as the committee members have successfully planned an entire month’s project. Ten students from the School of Education at FSSH also participated in this programme.
This project aims to expand the global experience for both pre-service and in-service agricultural educators as well as to globalise secondary agricultural education due to the ever-growing demand for such experiences. The objectives of #AgEd2Malaysia are to increase the global competence of pre-service and in-service agricultural educators, to focus on the intersection of culture and the agriculture systems in Malaysia as well as to promote the integration of international studies in the secondary classroom.
The programme kicked off at UTM with meeting the UTM Vice-Chancellor, Prof Datuk Ir. Dr. Wahid Omar at UTM International Office while the project was officiated at the School of Education, FSSH. They were also given the chance to take part in the Eid celebration after the #AgEd2Malaysia opening ceremony at the School of Education, FSSH UTM later in the day. Various activities and local festive cuisines have been prepared for the Eid celebration.
#AgEd2Malaysia offers various activities such as team teaching at several schools in Johor, staying with local family at Felda Ayer Hitam Kluang, agricultural programme at Tanjung Piai, Pekan Nenas, Sabah agricultural tour and various other workshops conducted inside and outside UTM. The partnership programmes with local agricultural bodies have tremendously helped in increasing the visibility of agricultural activities in Malaysia.
This project marked an outstanding milestone for the School of Education, especially to the members of Technical and Engineering Education and to all partners involved. This historic partnership is hoped to create more opportunities for all participants to venture into international linkage and networks.
