The new academic year 2024/2025 has begun, which means there are new students who will pursue their education at the university level. This is also the case at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada. This time the good news came from the Anthropology department. This year the Anthropology Department accepted 105 new students. Then the department together with the departmental association, Kemant, held an orientation period for new students of the Cultural Anthropology Bachelor Program.

The orientation period was held in a series of events that were packaged creatively and innovatively. The first activity was Meet the New Students, this activity was held on August 11, 2024. This activity is a gateway to introduce new students to anthropology. Through this activity, the committee and Kemant gave an overview of the Anthropology Department by socializing what activities are in the department, such as field research, exchange programs, tandem research, and many more. Then the new students were also divided into several groups that would be accompanied by a guide. The purpose of forming this group is to get to know each other and for various things that will be faced in the world of lectures. “Sharing is caring…”, said Deta as the public relations committee. This activity was closed with a jamming session.

Furthermore, students will get to know more about cultural anthropology in the activities in the coming week, some of which are: (a) group discussions that will be divided into several topics; (b) Rembukant, a talkshow type activity that will present speakers; (c) Writing Workshop; (d) Puncak Berkawant. So, let’s look forward to a series of other activities.

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 14: Life Below Water | SDGs 15: Life on Land | SDGs 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The XXIX National Cultural Gathering was successfully organized by I Gusti Bagus Sugriwa State Hindu University (UHN) which took place on Sunday-Friday, from November 5th until 10th, 2023. The theme of the 2023 National Cultural Gathering was “Sabda Budaya: Mukhti Luwir Nihan Segara”, which means “Cultural Echoes: Thundering like the Ocean”. The theme intends to highlight the richness of Indonesian culture that is still thundering amid the current era of globalization. The activity lasted for five days with various agendas including the National Deliberation, Wimbakara (Competition), and National Seminar. It ended with the Awarding Night as well as the closing of the XXIX National Cultural Gathering activities.

In this XXIX National Cultural Gathering, the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), sent eight delegates to participate in the entire series of events. The UGM delegation consists of Nurma Aisyah (class of 2021) as the head of the delegation, Vighna Rivattyannur Hernawan (class of 2020), Bima Muslih Wicaksono (class of 2022), Haryo Untoro (class of 2022), Kintan Dewinta Putri (class of 2022), Muhammad Siswoyo (class of 2022), Alma Syahwalani (class of 2023), and Meifira Arini Pitaloka (class of 2023).

There were six contested activities, including the Cultural Parade, National Scientific Writing Competition (LKTIN), Poetry Musicalization Competition, Comic Strip Competition, Cultural Tiktok Competition, and Cultural Reportage Competition. Of the six competitions, the delegation of Universitas Gadjah Mada won five competitions, including:

• 1st place in the Cultural Reportage competition (Alma Syahwalani)

The Cultural Reportage competition raised the theme of Taman Sari Yogyakarta, a historic water garden site, as a reflection of the splendor and majesty of Indonesian culture that is passed down to this day.

• 2nd place in the National Scientific Writing Competition (Haryo Untoro and Muhammad Siswoyo)

The National Scientific Writing Competition entitled Reflection of the Entity of the Agrarian Tradition in the Track Record of Cowongan Song Verses, raised the Cowongan ritual song verses as material objects that contain elements of agricultural in the form of various plants and animals. The elements are then associated with their classification in Javanese culture and reveal the inheritance related to the name of the agrarian elements and the agrarian mythology behind them.

• 2nd place in Comic Strip competition (Meifira Arini Pitaloka)

The Comic Strip competition with the theme “environmental conservation based on local wisdom” tells the story of young people who want to reforest by paying attention to the philosophy of these plants.

• 3rd place in the Poetry Musicalization competition (Nurma Aisyah and Bima Muslih Wicaksono)

The Poetry Musicalization Competition raised the theme “Sabda Budaya: Mukhti Luwir Nihan Segara” brought poetry created by Muhammad Siswoyo about the beauty and majesty of the nation’s culture. The poem was performed with a recitation combined with singing and musical accompaniment, thus mesmerizing the other participants.

• 3rd place in Tiktok Nusantara competition (Kintan Dewinta Putri)

Cultural Tiktok competition featuring traditional games, including Dakon or Congklak, Clogs, and games accompanied by dolanan cublek-cublek suweng songs.

The achievement of the UGM Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program in winning various competitions is a concrete manifestation of UGM Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Students in promoting, appreciating, and preserving the diverse cultures and traditions in Indonesia.

With the existence of the XXIXth National Cultural Gathering activities, it is hoped that they will motivate students to be interested in promoting this cultural heritage and tradition. Furthermore, this National Cultural Gathering activity can strengthen relationships between students of regional literature study programs throughout Indonesia and implement sustainable development goals, especially in improving the quality of education, extracting local wisdom that is in tune with the ecosystem, and working together to preserve and explore the nation’s cultural potential.

We would like to thank all those who have participated in the success of this event. Hopefully, Imbasadi can continue to accommodate students majoring in regional literature throughout Indonesia in developing and preserving the nation’s culture.

Indonesia is diverse, and Imbasadi unites.

SDGs 4: Quality Education|SDGs 17: Partnership for the Goals

Yogyakarta, January 26, 2024 – A student of the Arabic Literature Study Program, Department of Language and Literature, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM), has completed the MBKM Campus Teaching program at the Miftahul Huda Kroya Islamic Boarding School with flying colors. This program is part of the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) which aims to provide out-of-class learning experiences for students. This program focuses on assisting learning and fostering the use of Arabic and English in Islamic boarding schools.

While at the Miftahul Huda Kroya Islamic Boarding School, the two UGM students carried out various activities, including Language Classes, Foreign Language Talks, Student Mentoring, Bilingual Speech, Dhiba’ and Barzanji Readings, Language Tests, Listening Training, National Santri Day Commemoration Competition, Socialization of the Importance of Foreign Languages, and Vocabulary Book Making.

The Campus Teaching Program at the Miftahul Huda Kroya Islamic Boarding School is a real example of a beneficial collaboration between universities and Islamic boarding schools in improving the quality of education in Indonesia. This program is expected to produce a young generation that excels in Arabic and English and is ready to compete in the global arena.

SDGs 4: Quality Education|SDGs 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth|SDGs 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions|SDGs 17: Partnership for the Goals

Yogyakarta, January 27, 2024 – The internship program for UGM Arabic Literature students at the Sleman Regency Ministry of Religious Affairs Office was assigned to several service sections, namely Hajj and Umrah, Madrasah Education Section, and Public Relations Services. There are four students in this section. During the internship process, students were guided and monitored directly by the Mr. and Mrs. employees, they provided job descriptions that matched the students’ abilities, especially in the fields of communication, correspondence, archiving, and public services.

Some of the tasks given to the interns in the Hajj and Umrah section include: Assisting with the administration of registration, cancellation, and transfer of Hajj pilgrims’ portions; Assisting with the digitization of Hajj pilgrims’ data; Assisting with the registration of Hajj pilgrims’ passports; Assisting with the provision of Hajj consultation services to prospective Hajj pilgrims. The work sessions for the interns are adjusted to the working hours of the Sleman Regency Ministry of Religious Affairs Office.

For the Madrasah Education Section, the following tasks are given: Verifying data on educational personnel, starting from checking, validating, and ensuring the accuracy of the data; Managing the application on the Education and Teacher Personnel Management Information System of the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Simpatika) for educational personnel; Managing data and information systems for educational personnel, including updating data; Archiving supporting documents for the administrative needs of educational personnel; Assisting with the preparation of BOSDA and BOSNAS reports; Providing information services related to regulations, requirements, and facilities and infrastructure needs for educational personnel; Calculating the performance allowances for teachers and madrasah supervisors; Applying Ms. Excel formulas, especially VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP formulas, to ensure the accuracy of Teacher and Supervisor Performance Allowances.

Furthermore, in the public relations service, some of the tasks carried out include: Making videos of routine activities of the Sleman Regency Ministry of Religious Affairs Office; Making press releases; Assisting with the input of correspondence in the Sedakep application; Assisting with services at the One-Stop Integrated Service of the Sleman Regency Ministry of Religious Affairs Office. The work sessions are carried out in accordance with the working hours that have been applied for all employees of the Sleman Regency Ministry of Religious Affairs Office.

SDGs 4: Quality Education

Yogyakarta, January 27, 2024 – To support Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on Quality Education, several students from the Arabic Literature Study Program, Department of Language and Literature, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM) have completed an internship program at various Elementary Schools (SD) and Junior High Schools (SMP) in Yogyakarta and surrounding areas.

This internship program is an opportunity for students to apply the knowledge they have learned in college directly in the world of education. The students were assigned to several schools, such as SD Unggulan Muhammadiyah Lemahdadi, SD Kasongan, SDIT Luqman Al-Hakim, MI Ma’arif Candran, SMPIT Alam Nurul Islam, and Yayasan Tahfidz Sulaimaniyah in Yogyakarta, as well as SD Interaktif Harum Mulia, SD Muhammadiyah Tonggalan, and SDIT Ulul Albaab Weleri outside Yogyakarta.

During the internship program, the students had the opportunity to teach Arabic and several other subjects, such as Islamic Religious Education, Tahfidz, and Tahsin. In addition, students also participated in various activities at the school, such as religious studies, MABIT (Malam Bina Iman dan Takwa), healthy gymnastics, and extracurricular activities. This internship program is a real example of collaboration between FIB UGM and educational institutions to improve the quality of education in Indonesia. With this program, it is hoped that UGM Arabic Literature students can become competent and inspiring teachers, and contribute to realizing quality education.