THE International Cultural Communication Center Malaysia (ICCCM) has introduced the International Transnational Education Association (ITEA) and discussed potential areas of collaboration with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA).
ICCCM International Department deputy managing director Benjamin Leong said ITEA and SEARCA have a lot of similarities.
"Learning about SEARCA's mandate and offerings, we also shared ITEA's notable undertakings. We shared these notable undertakings such as advocacy for transnational education standards, professional development and training programs, global education partnerships,networking events and conferences, and scholarship opportunities," he said.
ICCCM serves as secretariat to ITEA, a non-profit organization that promotes and fosters synergy among institutions and individuals involved in transnational education.
Leong noted that with a global network of members, ICCCM aims "to enhance the quality and accessibility of educational opportunities across borders."
"There are a lot of similarities between SEARCA and ITEA, and I think we can plan and implement several projects together," he said.
Leong added that their proposal to SEARCA includes several collaborative projects, including joint conferences, professional development and training, and innovation initiatives.
During the meeting, SEARCA has identified a task that may be easy to accomplish which is partnering on an upcoming SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagements (SOLVE) webinar on artificial intelligence, wherein ITEA can contribute an expert as a resource speaker.
SEARCA Training for Development Unit, Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD) program specialist Sonny Pasiona said the center in return can provide experts for future ITEA events covering topics such as agriculture, climate change and gender.
Pasiona also recommended jointly developing a training program tailored for higher education institutions (HEIs).
SEARCA Partnerships Unit head Sharon Malaiba also shared that SEARCA can facilitate connecting ITEA with the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources, a network of esteemed universities in Southeast Asia, Canada, Germany, Japan and Taiwan.
Malaiba also suggested co-organizing a robotics competition with regard to the potential joint innovation initiative.
SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said the meeting between the center and ITEA have already agreed to draft a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to formalize their collaboration.
