BY TONY IROGA
Seven students from Solomon Islands National University (SINU) have returned home yesterday after successfully completing a two-week Winter School program at the University of Melbourne in Australia.
The international program brought together students from universities across Asia and the Pacific, giving participants the chance to exchange ideas, build friendships and gain valuable academic and cultural experiences.
According to a SINU statement released over the weekend, the program gave students the opportunity to learn beyond the classroom by interacting with people from different countries and cultures while developing regional networks.
During the program, the SINU students studied alongside participants from partner universities in India, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Fiji and Australia. They took part in lectures, workshops, masterclasses, field visits and group projects focused on sustainability and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The program brought home new knowledge, regional connections and memories from an experience that allowed students to learn not only from academic sessions, but also from the people and cultures around them,” SINU said.
Instead of working within their own university groups, students were placed in mixed teams based on their academic interests. This allowed them to collaborate with peers from different backgrounds and develop solutions by sharing different perspectives and experiences.
One of the participants, Sandra Carter from SINU’s Faculty of Nursing, Medicine and Health Sciences, joined the Sustainable Livelihoods: Health and Wellbeing stream.
She said her group explored ways to improve access to healthcare across the Asia-Pacific region by recognising the value of traditional medicine alongside modern healthcare.
“Our group presented ideas on how communities across Asia and the Pacific can improve access to healthcare by recognising traditional medicine as a supportive approach alongside conventional healthcare,” she said.
The program ended with group presentations, a certificate ceremony and cultural exchange activities, allowing students to celebrate their achievements and strengthen friendships formed during the two weeks.
SINU said the students’ participation reflects the importance of international partnerships in creating global learning opportunities for its students.
“SINU will continue to strengthen existing partnerships and explore new collaborations that enable more students to participate in international learning experiences, develop confidence, and gain the knowledge and networks needed to contribute to Solomon Islands and the wider Pacific,” the statement said.
Photo credit: SINU
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