Master course students registered on Tropical Fisheries International Linkage Program (ILP), were dispatched to University of the Philippines Visayas
Two of the nine master course students who registered to Tropical Fisheries International Linkage Program (ILP), were dispatched to the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS) of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), which is one of the member schools of ILP. They took program subjects; Advances in Fish Nutrition and Special Topics which combined lectures as well as experimental and practical activities regarding the students’ major fields for 40days from October 17th to November 25th in 2015.
This dispatchment was linked to a project, namely, “Implementation of International Linkage Program on Tropical Fisheries” which was adopted as a student overseas dispatch program under JASSO in 2015 and the students are trained on current status of the study in the Philippines as laboratory works and field researches regarding their major fields, in addition to taking the program subjects. Understandings of the local situations in the Philippines were also deepened through the students’ exchange activities with the UPV students who had been invited to Summer Session at Kagoshima University.
The relatively long stay provided students with the opportunities of self-activities out of the campus during the weekends.
 Practice on Breeding at UPV. |
International Linkage Programme (ILP) students visited Kasetsart Univerisity, Thailand
Seven students of the Postgraduate School of Fisheries, Kagoshima University who registered to the International Linkage Course on Tropical Fisheries studied at School of Fisheries, Kasetsart University for 40 days (Nov. 5th – Dec. 15th 2015).
Students arrived Bangkok and checked in the international dormitory at the main campus, Kasetsart University on 4th Nov. After the opening ceremony and orientation to the programme held by the dean and faculty members on 5th and 6th Nov., students took lectures for 3 weeks and participated in practices relevant to tropical fisheries for 3 days, and special programme was given by each supervisor professor for 1 week. The students visited a fish market in Bangkok to observe fisheries products, and developed their understanding of marine diversity in tropical region in the lecture of “Marine Biology Diversity”. They also studied about the fisheries resource management and current status and issues of Thai fisheries such as women in fisheries in “Fisheries Resource and Management”. In the field study tour at the Kamphaeng Saencampus, the students visited an aquaculture farm for tilapias and soft-shelled turtles, mangrove forests, and fishing villages. They studied species, vegetation and functions of mangrove at a mangrove forest, and understood fishing gear and methods and catch in the gillnet fishery at a fishing village. Some students visited tourist resorts, Pattaya and Phuket during weekends, to collect data on activities for protecting the environment from pollution and destruction.
 Lecture at Kasetsart University |
 Visiting fishing villages |
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Final oral presentations in English on the activities were conducted by each student to faculty members and students of Kasetsart University at main campus on 14 Nov. After return to Kagoshima, the students expressed their thoughts as: English command is very important to express own opinions; wide vision and understanding of different culture are important; and we should have studied more about Japanese fisheries. |
| Lunch meeting with faculty members and students of Kasetsart University | |
Master course students including 14 students from the member school of “Postgraduate (Master) Programme on Tropical Fisheries with International Linkage (ILP) attended Summer Session 2015 held at the Graduate School of Fisheries, Kagoshima University
Based on the “Postgraduate (Master) Programme on Tropical Fisheries with International Linkage (ILP)” which is an international alliance to share the curriculum formed with characteristic subjects offered by the member schools in Southeast Asian countries and Japan, the Summer Session of the Graduate School of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, was held for master course students from 24th August through to 30th September (five weeks). Forty-eight students including fourteen from the three member schools of Southeast Asian countries, namely Sam Ratulangi University, Indonesia, University of the Philippines Visayas, and Kasetsart University, Thailand, attended.
The idea of ILP was originally proposed by Dr. Tatsuro Matsuoka, Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, and since the establishment of the program in August 2014, it has shared the curriculum under the Common Rule of ILP. The Governing Council (GC) of ILP comprises representatives of the member schools, and has guaranteed the qualification of education. Since 2015, registration of students has started; they are able to attend classes at any member schools as the classes of their own school. Indeed, the credit is issued from their own school via ILP. This program aims to establish the centre of excellence in the Fisheries higher education in Asia.
Students from the member schools attended four of six subjects of lecture and/or laboratory classes. Moreover, they had the practical training for the latest analytical method at the laboratory in each specialty under the supervision of host scientists. Some students also experienced onboard training by using the faculty’s training vessel. All the scheduled classes were performed in English, suggesting that there was no border in languages. During the Summer Session, some students also participated in an undergraduate English communication class as guest speakers who learn fisheries.
All the students completed the scheduled events successfully, and went back to their home countries. Their class scores were converted to the ILP standard score, and were submitted to the ILP GC meeting that was held in December in Manado, Indonesia. After the endorsement by the GC, the credits were granted to the students from their own school under their school curriculum.
This unique linkage program that is definitely original and is no other in Asia will be continued from now on.
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| Participants and a class of the Summer Session 2015 | |
A subject of Tropical Fisheries were provided for the master course students.
Students of International Linkage Course are strongly encouraged to take a designated subject, ‘Tropical Fisheries’ as the guidance to overseas activities. This subject was provided for nine registered students in the Philippines, which is one of the English-speaking countries, for 14 days from June 15th with the cooperation of the University of the Philippines Visayas.
In this subjects, planning of self-activities by students and researches of currents status of the area are required as the pre-visit study. They participated in the lectures in English regarding the outline of the Philippines as well as the current status of fisheries, aquacultures, fish processing and distributions in the country and the self-activities were conducted during their stay in the Philippines. In the self-activities, research activities related to the students’ majors were carried out, while the UPV students who were registered in the International Linkage Program assisted their activities as the counterpart. The free time during the weekend was effectively utilised for the student exchange and understanding of a different culture. In addition, the students visited JICA Office in Manila on their trip, where briefing of overseas travel safety, Official Development Assistance by the Japanese government to the Southeast Asian countries especially for the Philippines and international volunteer activities was given.
The student exchanging is expected to be more active through visit of the UPV students who registered in the International Linkage Program to join the summer session at Kagoshima University in August this year.
 Visit to SEAFDEC, one of the facilities for study tour. |
Practical English (Overseas Training), one of the subjects in Faculty of Fisheries were provided.
Practical English (Overseas Training) was provided for 12 of the 2nd year students of this faculty for 17 days from August 18th to September 3rd at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) in Iloilo city. This subject aims at not only strengthening of English command through the training at UPV but also self-evaluation of the achievement through the past English study and present command as well as setting the expected level in English command and study plan after this training for each student.
During their stay, the time after classes from Monday to Saturday and Sunday were arranged for the self-activities and the exchange activities with UPV students and teaching assistants, and the self-activities planned by the students were carried out. In addition, the students visited JICA Office in Manila on their trip, where briefing of overseas travel safety, Official Development Assistance by the Japanese government to the Southeast Asian countries especially for the Philippines and international volunteer activities was given.
After the returning, result presentations were performed, where the self-evaluation for the English command, their study plans and the achievement levels were reported in the Faculty.
Three of the participants in this subject have been dispatched and are working in Central America under the cooperative volunteer program agreed between JICA and Kagoshima University and the fruitful results regarding development of the international way of thinking and understanding developing countries, have been produced already.
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| Students exchange and working for the presentation in the class | |
