The NPUST Office of International Affairs (OIA) organized the “Agricultural Experience Camp for Malaysian High School Students” from May 25th to June 1st this year (2024). Nine students from six Malaysian high schools traveled to Taiwan to take part in the camp and learn about Taiwan’s agricultural technology. At the opening ceremony, NPUST Vice-President Shang-Min Ma welcomed the Malaysian students to NPUST and wished them a fruitful experience.
Vice President Shang-Min Ma said: “Thank you very much for affirming NPUST and for signing up for this agricultural experience camp. Our school currently comprises seven colleges, including Agriculture, Engineering, Management, Humanities & Social Sciences, International Studies, Veterinary Medicine, and Professional Studies. Our colleges and departments are well developed and have rich learning resources in a variety of different fields of study. At NPUST, both academic theory and practical skills are emphasized in our teaching, and our practical learning facilities are very well equipped. This experience camp covers a rich array of topics including smart agricultural machinery operations, plant medicine, planting, environmental education, aquatic biology, animal science, farm experience, and food science. By experiencing some of our school’s special courses, you will be able to explore different directions for your future university studies. I hope that you will be able to fully experience some of NPUST’s special features this week, and that in the future, you will be able to come back to Taiwan and even to NPUST for further studies”.
The closing ceremony was hosted by Office of International Affairs Vice-Dean Yuh Tzean. He encouraged the students to have the courage to venture from home and study abroad. He also expressed his hope that through the camp they were able to experience some of the advanced agricultural technology and the rich teaching resources of NPUST—even though the time was short.
The time was short, however the students had a lot to look back on. On the first day, after arriving at Kaohsiung International Airport, they immediately embarked on a half-day tour of Kaohsiung City, visiting Cijin Old Street and the lighthouse before taking a ferry across the harbor to enjoy a big bowl of shaved ice. They also visited the Pier-2 Art Zone and the Ruifeng Night Market where they tasted authentic Taiwanese snacks. On day two, they headed to the Tainan Duck Village Leisure Farm, and on the following day (5/27), the core experiential courses began on campus. The student learned about smart agricultural machinery operations, plantings techniques, aquaculture, food science and much more. They also visited the Working Dog Training Center and Wildlife Rescue Center to see some of the work NPUST is doing with animals. Reflecting on the experience, one student said: “I am very honored to participate in this experiential camp. It is an opportunity for me to broaden my horizons and see the university life and the high-quality dormitory environment at NPUST. Taiwan’s tourism industry is also very cultural. The professional knowledge in the field of agricultural that we were introduced to in the course was eye-opening, and gave us more specific goals for choosing a university in the future”.
