SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Yogyakarta, Saturday, February 24, 2024 – The Arabic Literature Student Association (IKMASA) of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) inaugurated the Naseem Cabinet in an Ikmasa 2024/2025 Management Inauguration event held on Saturday, February 24, 2024 in Soegondo Room 709.

The event was attended by Dr. Sudibyo, M.Hum., Head of the Department of Language and Literature, and Dr. Zulfa Purnamawati, S.S., M.Hum., Head of the Arabic Literature Study Program. The handover of positions was carried out from the old chairman, Sabik Hikami, to Muhammad Nabil Sahabuddin who will lead Ikmasa for the 2024/2025 period.

This activity began with the opening, remarks from the Head of Language and Literature, remarks from the Head of Arabic Literature Study Program, handover and inauguration, remarks from the new Head of Ikmasa, and ended with closing and group photos. It is hoped that with this change of management, Ikmasa can continue to develop and advance UGM Arabic Literature students in various fields.

SGDs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | SGDs 17: Partnerships For The Goals

On Monday, February 26, 2024, 16.00-17.30 WIB, the UGM Japanese Language and Culture Study Program (BKJ) held an offline light discussion on the topic ‘Current State of Japan’ with Aoyama Tooru, Ph. D. who is an Emeritus Professor from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. The discussion was attended by lecturers and students of BKJ UGM from all active batches.

The discussion agenda was opened with an explanation of the current condition of Japan by Aoyama-sensei. Coinciding with the new year 2024, January 1, 2024, in Japan, precisely Noto in Ishikawa Prefecture faced an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale at 14.10 local time. The earthquake not only damaged many public facilities and homes but also affected the access roads to the affected areas. The severe damage hampered access to disaster relief by the Japanese government. The affected area is a rural area filled with elderly people, so most victims have difficulty moving quickly in a precarious situation. Alas, the earthquake and its damage have the potential to make the area disappear from the map of Japan. This is because young people in Japan are choosing to live in cities with better facilities. Based on Aoyama-sensei’s explanation, the session continued with a dynamic and interactive question-and-answer session. Afterward, the discussion session was characterized by various questions about current social issues or problems in Japanese society. One of them was the link between the shoushikoureika (少子高齢化) problem, known as the problem of low birth rate and high elderly population, and the future of Japan.

The discussion with Aoyama-Sensei gave Japanese Language and Culture students valuable experience that can improve their critical thinking skills. By studying social cases in Japan, students not only broaden their horizons but also hone their creativity in formulating solutions to existing or even similar problems in Indonesia. This activity is a window of inspiration for students to learn and enrich their perspective on the current condition of Japan.

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 17: Partnerships For The Goals

The Sleman Regency Culture Office (Kundha Kabudayan) holds a workshop on “Memetri” magazine writing every year. This year, the workshop took place on Thursday, February 2, 2024, at Floating Resto Sleman. This workshop was attended by various groups, including Pasbuja (Javanese Literature and Culture Association), FGSM (Sleman Teachers Forum), and five students of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program class of 2023. They are Rafif Wicaksono, M. Rafi Nur Fauzy, Audrey Gizella Islamey, Rela Sazkia, and Zidna Nabila.

This year’s “Memetri” Magazine Writing Training Workshop was devoted to writing Javanese-language feature works. The goal was to train the participants to write features, increase creativity, and preserve the Javanese language. There were various materials presented by the speakers, such as formulas for writing features, methods of writing features, and how to choose references for features to be written. Wiwien Widyawati Rahayu, the lecturer of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program, was also a resource person in this workshop. She delivered a method for finding feature sources.

Audrey Gizella expressed her opinion on the workshop. “Alhamdulillah, this workshop was very fun, not boring, and I gained new knowledge to write features.” Rafif Wicaksono added, “This activity is very useful for us, especially since our study program is also related to literature. Therefore, we can know the intricacies of good and correct feature writing,” he said.

The workshop ended with the practice of writing a feature on the topic of Floating Resto Sleman. Five writers with the best work will have the opportunity to become journalists for the Sleman Regency Cultural Office’s “Memetri” magazine. With this, it is hoped that there will be many people who like to write in Javanese, especially features, for “Memetri” magazine.

The organization of the “Memetri” Magazine Writing Training Workshop is a concrete effort to train the younger generation to be able to write features as well as participate in the preservation of Javanese Culture. Educational efforts and cooperation from various parties in preserving culture are following the goals of sustainable development, namely improving the quality of education (point 4) and partnerships to for the goals (point 17).

SGDs 4: Quality Education | SGDs 17: Partnerships For The Goals

On Friday, January 26, 2024, the Head of the Intercultural Department of FIB Gadjah Mada University, Prof. Dr. Sangidu, M.Hum. visited UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya as a resource person at the Debriefing of the Student Credit Transfer Program to Egypt. This activity was attended by the Vice-Rector for General Administration, Planning, and Finance of UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya, Prof. Dr. Wiwik Setiyani, M.Ag., lecturer representatives, and students of the Arabic Literature Study Program from various institutions in Indonesia.

In her speech, Prof. Dr. Wiwik Setiyani said “The Credit Transfer Program has been initiated by Prof. Sangidu since the 2000s and is still ongoing today. This year, UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya dispatched 13 students to continue their master’s and doctoral studies in Egypt. Hopefully, this activity will continue and the kinship between UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya and Gadjah Mada University will be maintained”.

The event continued with the presentation of material by Prof. Dr. Sangidu, M.Hum. who had served as Attache of Education and Culture in Cairo, Egypt for the period 2009-2013. He explained that Indonesia has a long-standing relationship with the Middle East, especially Egypt. Therefore, universities in Egypt are open to Indonesian students who want to continue their studies there. This opportunity needs to be well utilized because it is very important to improve Arabic language skills, both oral and written.

SGDs 4: Quality Education

On Thursday, February 22, 2024, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences Department of History successfully held a colloquium for Masters in History with two presenters, namely Indriyani and Nur Fadilah Yusuf. Meanwhile, Dr. Mutiah Amini, M.Hum. and Dr. Wildan Sena Utama, S.S., M.A. served as discussants. The event was also attended by the Head of the Department of History and students of S2-S3 History which took place from 13.30 to 15.30 WIB in room 709 Soegondo Building, Faculty of Arts UGM.

Indriyani with a thesis plan entitled “The King’s Symbol Becomes the City’s Symbol: Sriwedari Park in Surakarta 1901-1987” became the first presenter in the colloquium. In general, her thesis explains that Sriwedari Park has experienced a change from an exclusive space to an inclusive space. Initially, Sriwedari Park was established by Pakubuwana X in 1901 as a private space of the palace, so ordinary people often referred to the park as “Bon Raja” or “Kebon Raja” which means “King’s Park”. Later, this condition changed when the commercialization of Sriwedari Park occurred through the implementation of entrance tickets or tickets. Eventually, the park became a public space. After Indonesia’s independence, Sriwedari Park became a revolutionary space where the majority of the ticket sales were used for the cause of independence. After the revolution, there was an assumption in the community that “you haven’t been to Solo if you haven’t been to Sriwedari”, so according to Indriyani, Sriwedari Park eventually became a kind of symbol of Solo.

The second speaker, Nur Fadilah Yusuf with a thesis plan entitled “Taman Ismail Marzuki: The Life of Art and Politics 1968-1998” generally discussed the relationship between art and politics in which the state influenced the running of activities at TIM (Taman Ismail Marzuki). Initially, the establishment of TIM in 1968 was the result of discussions between people known as the Cultural Manifesto group and Governor Ali Sadikin. It can be said to be a grant because of the support of the artists at that time towards the New Order rulers. Nur Fadilah Yusuf also talked about how TIM changed not only spatially, but also in terms of thought (from the representation of art for art’s sake to socialist realism brought by Lekra). In 1998, TIM functioned as a discussion space for activists and students who were going to carry out the reform movement at the Jakarta parliament building.

This colloquium is certainly a golden opportunity for the presenters to get progressive criticism and suggestions for the improvement of their work. Moreover, as Wildan Sena Utama said, the tradition of peer review in Indonesia is still relatively rare.

“People in Indonesia, one of the reasons why many of them turn their attention to predatory publishers like that is because they avoid the peer-review tradition. They are antipathetic to the peer-review tradition because they are afraid, so they think of it as a kind of killing field, you know, not as an opportunity to improve your work, (to) improve your quality,” said Wildan Sena Utama.

In addition, Wildan Sena Utama also provided tips for dealing with peer review.

“There are tips, when you get a complex peer review, don’t do it right away, just let it sit for a day or two because sometimes you also have to prepare your brain first to work on it. That’s one of the tips for dealing with peer review,” he said.