Yogyakarta, 30 July 2019—GEO Fisipol UGM’s SMU-UGM Summer Course Program was opened on the 28th of July. This event was participated by students from both Singapore Management University (SMU) and Universitas Gadjah Mada. Participants of this event took part in cultural activities provided by GEO.
On the second day, the 30th of July, the participants learned about small and medium-sized enterprises in Indonesia and ASEAN. This course also discussed regarding the 2025 ASEAN Economic Community. According to the course tutor, Dr. Dafri Agussalim, Gojek plays an important role in digitalising the Indonesian economy, particularly by supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.
Meanwhile, the second course focused on Indonesia’s development policy. This course was presented by Dr. Riza Noer Arfani and revolved around the historical aspect of the development in Indonesia. Several documentary films, such as The Rulers of the New World, Jakarta Unfair and Sexy Killers were screened to facilitate this course. The participants were assigned to perform a presentation in the next session of this course. This event has been held several times by GEO Fisipol. Dimas, the chairman of the organizing committee, conveyed that this event was first proposed by SMU in 2017. “As a business school, SMU is interested in business activities and social issues in Indonesia,” Dimas stated.
This event, which will be held until the 10th of August, also showcased the richness of the Indonesian culture. One of them is the Saman dance, performed by SAKA UGM. Furthermore, the participants also conducted company visits to several enterprises, such as Bumi Langit, Monggo Chocolate, Dowa Bag and Dagadu. The participants also took part in excursions to Yogyakarta’s touristic sites, such as the Borobudur Temple, Giriloyo Batik Workshop, Merapi Lava Tour and Ullen Sentalu Museum. Afterwards, the participants also attended a CEO Panel Talk.
Jia Qi, a participant from SMU, stated that she was recommended by one of her seniors to participate in this event. She believed that this event has localized and exposed her to the richness of the Indonesian culture. Both aspects are important to further expand her horizons as a marketing student, she conveyed.