A GROUP of final year students together with a lecturer from the Bachelor of Business Administration (Finance) programme at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Malacca recently took a trip to Perth, Australia as part of a course on Issue and Ethics in Finance.
The objective of the trip was mainly to expose the 22 students to the financial, business and political sectors in Perth. It was also intended to give the students a chance to explore Australia, uncover foreign culture and give them an insight into how the country operates in comparison to Malaysia as well as contemplate on what they could contribute to nation-building.
Project Manager Muhammad Adib Akmal Noor Azlan said it was not smooth-sailing at first.
“Most of the members in our group had budget constraints so we had to put our entrepreneurial hats on to raise funds. Fortunately, the group members cooperated well with one another and we were able to ensure that our plans went smoothly despite sudden changes,” he said.
Vice-project manager Mohd Zafran Mohd Salleh said support from lecturer Nor Shahrina Mohd Rafien ensured the trip was a success. “Even though we faced a few technical difficulties before the trip, we managed to handle it with Madam Nor Shahrina’s assistance and encouragement.”
Among the places that the group was able to visit were the University of Western Australia (UWA), Curtin University, the Parliament House of Western Australia, Bell Tower, Freemantle Prison, Australia Securities Exchange and Museum of Western Australia.
During the campus visits, the UiTM students had the chance to meet a number of Malaysian students studying at the respective universities and were given an insight into Australian education.
“The campus visits were meaningful and great sharing moments because they gave us a new perspective on education. It opened up our minds and exposed us to new surroundings and experience that cannot be acquired in Malaysia,” said Muhammad Adib.
He remarked that students who joined the trip not only benefited in the academic sense, but also in terms of improved soft skills through adapting and learning about different cultures and communicating with peers from another country.
“Other than that, this trip enhanced our critical thinking ability when dealing with myriad of problems abroad. For example, when dealing with different cultures, we must first study the cultural norms, understand them, and try to adjust ourselves accordingly. This odyssey was not only an eye-opener for us, but it stoked curiosity and awakened our inner child by offering us new, first-time experiences,” he said.