THE best way to familiarise yourself with a foreign lifestyle is to immerse in it. Home stay programmes not only allow you to experience a culture but it also enriches the lives of both the host and the guest.

Foster parents are role models, says Mohd Zaid

As part of its 38th anniversary celebrations, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) recently introduced a home stay programme aimed at fostering national unity among its students.

Some 28 student leaders were placed in the homes of 13 host families chosen by the National Council of Women's Organisations.

Vice chancellor Professor Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin says: "The goal of this programme is to build a forward-looking, harmonious and united nation."

"We're confident that our students will benefit from the experience of living with foster families," she adds.
The host families represent a broad cross section of Malaysian society -- from professionals, entrepreneurs, executives and pensioners to homemakers -- of all ethnic groups and religions.

Student Representative Council President Mohd Zaid Mohd Idrus spent three days in the home of teacher-turned-lawyer Radhakrishnan and wife Panjakani in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur.

"We spent a lot of time chatting and discussing politics," says Mohd Zaid, who conversed in English with his foster parents and learned a smattering of Tamil from them.

The final-year Economics major considers the home stay programme a new experience as other schemes normally place students with families of their own ethnicity.

"Staying with a family of a different ethnic group helps students remove cultural barrier and preconceived notions of others," he adds.

The home stay programme also offers the undergraduates a glimpse into the lives of successful figures.

"Foster parents are role models whom students can emulate. Getting to know (the foster parents) can motivate students to excel in their studies."

Other UKM students also laud the move to introduce the scheme. In the future, they hope the university will extend the duration of the programme and increase the number of participants.

As part of its anniversary celebrations, UKM's Museum of Academic Heritage will be launching a special publication documenting the university's milestones and achievements since its establishment in May 1970.

During its infancy, UKM went through a series of trials and tribulations particularly when the government entrusted it with the task to educate young Malaysians in Bahasa Malaysia.

"That enormous challenge spurred UKM's scholars on to work harder to reflect the spirit of nationalism," says Sharifah Hapsah.

In less than four decades, UKM has achieved academic and scholastic excellence, gained international recognition for research across various disciplines, and nurtured students to succeed with honour and good stewardship.

UKM recently earned the status of a research university, thanks to the hard work of its academics.

In its effort to be in the league of the world's best research universities, UKM focuses on seven niche areas -- national identity in globalisation and multiculturalism, sustainable regional development, renewable energy, medical and health technology, climate change, nanotechnology and advanced materials, as well as biodiversity for biotechnology development.