NIDA’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) and Graduate School of Public Administration (GSPA), in collaboration with the Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies (FSPPP), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Malaysia, very successfully organized the UiTM-NIDA Global Community Outreach 2023 on November 13 – 17, 2023. This global outreach program included numerous educational and recreational activities as follows:
Day 1: Field trip to Ayutthaya Historical Park, Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, and Wat Mahathat.
Day 2: Lectures given by GSPA and FSPPP professors, GSPA-hosted lunch with Assistant to the President for International Affairs, GSPA Dean and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, GSTM Dean and Assistant to Dean for International Affairs and other GSPA faculty members, discussion sessions from UiTM and GSPA students, and a NIDA campus tour.
Day 3: Community service day at the community along Pravet Burirom Canal in Bangkok, visiting the Masjid Yamir Al-lbadah (Suraatang Khwai), the Century-Old Wooden Bridge, Ploy House: the time-honored art of gem cutting and jewelry manufacturing, Ban Pha Pak Sunisa: 4-star OTOP-rated indigenous crafts, and Baema Farm. The community engagement activities involved cleaning the canal, learning about cultivation in the Koh Klang community, and exploring the natural route at the PTT Metro Forest.
Day 4: Academic visit to Electronic Transactions Development Agency (EDTA), sightseeing at Wat Phra Chetupon Wimon Manglalaram and the Golden Mount.
The activities were attended by 24 participants, including faculty members and undergraduate and postgraduate students from UiTM, led by Dr. Suhaimi Bin Haji Abd Samad and Dr. Asiyah Binti Kassim. The successful implementation of the activities was made possible with the support of both public and private sector partners, including internal units within NIDA, namely the Graduate School of Public Administration (GSPA) and the Graduate School of Tourism Management (GSTM). This initiative also contributes to the internationalization efforts in pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at NIDA.
