Yogyakarta, February 24, 2026 — The Korean Language and Culture Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, once again demonstrated its commitment to enhancing educational quality through the awarding of scholarships to outstanding students. The scholarships granted in this semester include the KAGAMA Scholarship for the even semester of Academic Year 2025/2026, the KOCHAM Scholarship, and the KOMITRANDO Scholarship.

The event was held at Soegondo Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Rooms 521–522, from 1:00 to 1:30 PM (WIB). It was attended by representatives of KOMITRANDO, all scholarship recipients, and students enrolled in the Academic Korean Language course.

The program began with an opening by the Master of Ceremony, followed by remarks from Achmad Rio Dessiar, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Head of the Korean Language and Culture Study Program. In his speech, he expressed his appreciation to the scholarship recipients as well as to the partner institutions for their continued support in strengthening the quality of higher education. The remarks were followed by a speech from Ms. Irene, Operational Director of KOMITRANDO.

Following the speeches, the event proceeded with the scholarship awarding session. The KAGAMA Korea Scholarship was presented first to ten high-achieving students as recognition of their academic excellence. This scholarship is awarded every semester with a grant of IDR 1,000,000 per student. The recipients are as follows:

1. Angela Marta Putri Ajita (GPA 3.73)
2. Rabia Nur Aisyah (GPA 3.70)
3. Azzahra Ika Novitasari (GPA 3.68)
4. Meilia Sekar Arum (GPA 3.68)
5. Ardhanika Brahmadhinata (GPA 3.82)
6. Allysa Fadhia Pramudita (GPA 3.77)
7. Gabriela Putri Ratnaningtyas (GPA 3.75)
8. Dinar Insan Sakinah (GPA 4.00)
9. Farida Hanum (GPA 4.00)
10. Xadiyazelda Rajafathi Wibowo (GPA 3.94)

The ceremony continued with the awarding of the KOCHAM Scholarship to five students, each receiving IDR 5,000,000. The recipients are:

1. Alma Naya Kamila (GPA 3.82)
2. Salwa Aulia Maharani (GPA 3.78)
3. Tamara Nasrina Prameswari (GPA 3.94)
4. Irene Xaviera Lovryna (GPA 3.87)
5. Brigitta Angela Limanto (GPA 3.85)

In the final session, the KOMITRANDO Scholarship was presented to two selected students. The scholarship is provided in the form of educational financial support to facilitate the recipients’ academic progress. The awardees are:

1. Theresia Chindyawati (GPA 3.89)
2. Difta Maulifa Sakina (GPA 3.85)

To conclude the event, Theresia and Difta delivered their impressions and messages as representatives of the KOMITRANDO scholarship recipients. They expressed their gratitude, describing the scholarship as both an honor and a motivation to continue striving for academic excellence and to complete their studies successfully.

The event concluded with a group photo session involving all scholarship recipients.

This initiative not only served as an appreciation of students’ academic achievements but also as an inspiration for other students to pursue excellence, while reaffirming the commitment of the Korean Language and Culture Study Program to fostering an academic environment that supports educational sustainability and student development.

Author: Aura Adiba Wijaya Litianko

The Faculty of Cultural Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada hosted the Workshop on Oral History in Southeast Asia, organized by SEASREP Foundation in collaboration with Sejarah Lisan on 9–11 February 2026 at the FIB UGM Multimedia Room. The program was designed for postgraduate students and early-career researchers in Southeast Asia to strengthen their methodological, ethical, and conceptual capacities in oral history research, amid ongoing challenges in historical production often shaped by political interests and archival limitations.

The workshop was organized in response to the growing need to document life histories, testimonies, and field narratives that are frequently absent from official records. Across Southeast Asia, state violence, the silencing of archives and media, and the revision of historical narratives have significantly influenced how history is produced and disseminated.

In recent years, the region has witnessed efforts to reassess past violence in Indonesia, the rise of ethno-nationalist interpretations in Malaysia, the dominance of single-hero narratives in Singapore, and disputes over heritage sites along the Thailand–Cambodia border. These developments place marginalized voices at risk of being erased from collective memory.

Oral history and social history offer approaches to address these gaps. However, their practice entails methodological and ethical challenges, particularly when research touches upon politically and legally sensitive issues, trauma, and unequal access to information.

The workshop was designed to address the limited formal training in oral history available in the region. Many young researchers learn the method through practice without systematic preparation in interview design, interpretation, ethics, preservation, and public engagement. Through context-based training focused on Southeast Asia, participants were encouraged to understand oral history not merely as a technical tool, but as a critical concept and practice for reexamining how history is produced.

The three-day program adopted a phased approach. The first day explored the values and methodologies of oral history, including the development of interview guidelines and preparation for fieldwork challenges. The second day focused on interpretation, transcription, preservation, and publication, complemented by panel discussions and an oral history performance session to explore alternative narrative forms. The third day highlighted participants’ research presentations and discussions on ethical issues, power relations, and researchers’ responsibilities within complex socio-political environments.

Participants were expected to have an existing or planned research project based on oral history interviews. While there were no disciplinary restrictions, participants were required to actively share their experiences and engage in collective discussions.

Through a combination of lectures, panels, workshops, performances, and student presentations, the organizers emphasized active participation and community building. The workshop aimed to establish a network of oral history researchers in Southeast Asia and Japan committed to collaboration and non-exploitative research practices.

By the end of the program, participants were expected to understand the full stages of oral history research and its potential challenges, be able to design context-sensitive and ethically grounded interviews, and gain a deeper awareness of power relations and researcher positionality in fieldwork. They were also encouraged to view oral history as a means of critically engaging with dominant state narratives and expanding historical representation.

The workshop underscores the importance of strengthening academic capacity that upholds diversity of voices and social responsibility. Building a collaborative and reflective research community represents a strategic step toward ensuring that history is written not only by those in power, but also by those who have long remained at the margins of dominant narratives.

[Public Relations of FIB UGM, Candra Solihin]

Dili, Timor Leste, 13 February 2026 – The Dili Institute of Technology (DIT) facilitated a meeting between the delegation team from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and Keluarga Alumni Gadjah Mada (KAGAMA) Timor Leste. The meeting was guided by the spirit of “learning from the past, reflecting on the present, for our better shared future” as the foundation for collaboration.

Held at the DIT campus, the meeting was attended by prominent figures, including Manuel Vong, Ph.D., Chair of KAGAMA Timor Leste (former Minister of Tourism of Timor Leste and former Rector of DIT); Aderita Mariana Takeleb, M.Sc., Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at DIT; Napoleon, Head of Fiscal Affairs of KAGAMA; the Dean of the Faculty of Tourism at DIT; Mica Barreto Soares, Ph.D., Director of the MBA Program at DIT; Celline, Head of the Center for Cultural and Arts Studies at Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e (UNTL); as well as lecturers and researchers from UNTL’s Faculty of Social Sciences, many of whom have written extensively on Indonesia–Timor Leste relations.

In his remarks, the Chair of KAGAMA Timor Leste emphasized that the organization’s current strategic programs focus on improving welfare through the agriculture and fisheries sectors, clean and healthy politics, tourism–arts–industry, and sustainable creative culture. Social inequality remains a primary concern, and collaboration with UGM is expected to strengthen quality education and research as key foundations for addressing these disparities.

The meeting produced several short-term follow-up initiatives, including:

• Training on article writing (both technical and substantive aspects) and journal management and development;

• Collaboration between UGM and KAGAMA Timor Leste in media news writing (public relations and communications);

• Organizing a sport tourism event in the form of a heritage fun walk, involving students from UNTL and DIT as the organizing committee;

• A Literary Festival through UGM’s international community service program (KKN) in border areas, in response to a request from the Education and Cultural Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Timor Leste for arts training programs (including gamelan, Indonesia–Timor Leste collaborative dance, and the writing of folk tale books).

UGM and KAGAMA Timor Leste also agreed to adopt a cultural approach as the foundation for cooperation across higher education institutions in Timor Leste. This synergy is expected to broaden the societal impact of knowledge and scholarship, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

The visit conducted by Universitas Gadjah Mada received support and sponsorship from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) as the main sponsor of the organization Cultivating the Humanities and Social Sciences and Supporting Under-Represented Scholars of Asia (CHSS). CHSS itself is a transnational inclusivity initiative established by the Association for Asian Studies (AAS).

[Public Relation of FIB UGM, Alma Syahwalani]

The Faculty of Cultural Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM) held an orientation session and course registration for National and International Student Exchange participants for the even semester of 2026. The event took place in Meeting Room 1, Poerbatjaraka Building, FIB UGM. It was attended by students from South Korea, Taiwan, Brunei Darussalam, Italy, and Japan, as well as from Universitas Brawijaya, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Universitas Andalas, and Universitas Udayana. The Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs of FIB UGM was also present at the event.

The session aimed to provide students with an understanding of the faculty environment and academic system, including class schedules, the academic calendar, and classroom learning culture. In his remarks, the Vice Dean stated, “We hope the students will adapt well and make the most of this opportunity to enrich their academic and cross-cultural experiences.”

Through this activity, FIB UGM seeks to foster an open and collaborative learning environment amid the diverse backgrounds of its students. Cross-campus and cross-country interactions are expected to strengthen academic networks while supporting students’ continuous capacity development.

[Public Relations of FIB UGM, Candra Solihin]

An undergraduate student of the Indonesian Language and Literature Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, M Deni Maulana, has won the prestigious Daesang (대상) award at the Global Inbound Start-Up Idea Competition held in South Korea. The accolade was awarded for his innovative, contextual, and practical educational start-up concept designed to address the needs of international students.

The global competition brought together 45 participants from 20 universities across various countries. It was organized by Jeonbuk National University, Jeonbuk State, and the Global Innovation Start-Up Center (GISC). The event series took place from November 13 to December 3, 2025, and was held onsite at The May Hotel Jeonju, Jeonbuk State, South Korea. The competition stages included idea submission, concept presentation, mentoring sessions, and final evaluation by a panel of professional judges.

At the international forum, Deni represented Indonesia with a conceptually strong and strategically competitive proposal. He earned the Daesang award for his start-up idea, LinguaLoka, which addresses cross-cultural communication challenges, particularly the gap in understanding dialects and everyday speech varieties that are often overlooked in formal language learning.

Drawing on his academic background in Indonesian Language and Literature and his interest in the Indonesian for Foreign Speakers (BIPA) program, Deni developed LinguaLoka as a local dialect-based language learning application. His experience as an exchange student in South Korea and as an Indonesian language tutor for Korean students significantly shaped the idea. Through direct interaction, he observed that foreign language learners frequently struggle to understand language in everyday conversational contexts, while mastery of dialects often becomes the key to effective social communication.

“Language learning cannot rely solely on formal structures. Dialects and everyday speech contexts play a crucial role in building meaningful communication,” said Deni Maulana.

Conceptually, LinguaLoka features several key components, including real-life conversation simulations, a peer-to-peer language exchange feature, and an educational dialect-guessing game. The application is designed to facilitate Indonesian and Korean students in learning formal language while also becoming familiar with regional dialects used in daily life in both countries.

The panel of judges assessed LinguaLoka as having strong educational value, global development potential, and sustainability as a culture-based educational start-up. Deni’s background as a humanities student was considered a conceptual advantage, as he was able to integrate linguistic studies, BIPA teaching experience, and the practical needs of international students.

This achievement underscores the strategic role of language and literature students in generating cross-disciplinary innovations relevant to global challenges. Through culture-based educational approaches, such innovations are expected to strengthen cross-cultural understanding and foster the development of inclusive and sustainable learning ecosystems at the international level.

Source: M. Deni Maulana
[Public Relations of FIB UGM, Candra Solihin]