Yogyakarta, May 20, 2025 — The Master’s Program in Islamic Economics (MES) at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta has further strengthened its strategic efforts to build internationally oriented higher education networks through the implementation of a collaborative International Student Learning Experience. This initiative involved students from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia, who participated in regular classes alongside MES students at UIN Sunan Kalijaga.

The activity, held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, formed part of the International Student Mobility scheme. Beyond introducing international students to Indonesia’s higher education system, the program served as a platform for academic interaction and cultural exchange, enriching the learning experiences of both local and international participants. UiTM students from various academic programs—including Bachelor of Sharia Accounting, Sharia Economics, Sharia Banking, Islamic Financial Management, and the Master’s Program in Islamic Economics—joined classroom learning activities within the MES Program.

A total of 16 UiTM students actively participated in the program, engaging directly with local students in an interactive, collaborative, and cross-cultural classroom environment. The lectures were conducted from 08:30 to 09:30 AM (WIB) and were facilitated by MES lecturers, including Prasojo, Miftakhul Choiri, Galuh Tri Pambekti, and Ruspita Rani Pertiwi, among others. In each session, the Malaysian students were not merely passive participants, but actively contributed to discussions, responded to questions, and shared academic perspectives enriched by international contexts.

One session that attracted particular attention was the Islamic Financial Management class guided by Dr. Prasojo in Room 105. This class was attended by two UiTM postgraduate students, Muhammad Arif Syukri Bin Suhaini and Ajmal Haizi, who engaged in discussions on strategic topics such as productive zakat, waqf management, and the integration of Islamic financial values with national development policies. Their participation contributed to deeper classroom dialogue and broadened local students’ understanding of Islamic finance practices in the Southeast Asian region.

This program reaffirmed the MES Program’s commitment at UIN Sunan Kalijaga to advancing an open, inclusive, and globally responsive Islamic higher education model. The academic interaction between students from two culturally related nations also strengthened academic diplomacy and laid the foundation for long-term collaboration beyond the classroom, including opportunities for joint research, student exchange, and curriculum development grounded in moderate and progressive Islamic values.

Lecturers involved in the program expressed appreciation for the participation of international students, noting that their presence brought renewed enthusiasm to the learning process. Cross-national interaction also encouraged local students to think more critically, openly, and reflectively about diverse scholarly approaches and Islamic economic policies implemented in different countries.

MES students who served as class facilitators also gained valuable experience—not only as academic hosts for international peers, but as dialogue partners engaged in mutual learning about the dynamics of Islamic economics in a globalized context.

This activity also aligns with national policies supporting the ASEAN Higher Education Area (AHEA) and Islamic Higher Education Networking initiatives. The MES Program at UIN Sunan Kalijaga views such collaborative programs as essential and plans to expand partnerships not only with Malaysia, but also with other partner countries such as Brunei Darussalam, Egypt, Pakistan, and several European countries with growing interest in Islamic and sharia-based economic studies.

Through the successful implementation of this program, the Master’s Program in Islamic Economics at UIN Sunan Kalijaga has demonstrated its capacity as a key actor in the development of world-class Islamic higher education. The participation of UiTM Malaysia students represents not merely an academic activity, but a reflection of cross-border collaboration founded on shared scholarly values, mutual trust, and a collective aspiration to advance Islamic economics at the global level.