Opening of UPI Postgraduate Student Internship Program as BIPA Teaching Assistant at Huntingtower School, Australia

By Nina Amalia

A total of 16 students of the BIPA Education Master Program at the Graduate School of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (SPS UPI) were registered as apprentices to become teaching assistants at Huntingtower School Victoria, Australia in two periods, namely from February 20 to April 2 and April 24 to June 24, 2023. This internship was organized in collaboration between the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), the Regional Centre for Quality Improvement for Teachers and Education Personnel (QITEP) in Language (SEAQIL), UPI Graduate School (SPS UPI), and Huntingtower School in Victoria, Australia.
For the smooth running of the internship program, the opening of the BIPA teaching assistant internship program in Australia was held on February 20, 2023. The activity was opened with remarks by Prof. Dr. H. Syihabuddin, M.Pd. as Director of SPS UPI, R. Dian Dia-an Muniroh, Ph.D. as Plt. Director of SEAQIL, and Tata Survi as a teacher and representative of Huntingtower School. The symbolic signing of the cooperation agreement letter was carried out between SEAQIL, SPS UPI, and Huntingtower School, followed by a symbolic handover of interns from SEAQIL to Huntingtower School.
In order to equip the BIPA UPI Master of Education students, there were three briefing sessions presented by speakers from the three related parties. The first material was delivered by Tata Survi regarding the sundries of the BIPA program and Huntingtower School regulations. The second material was elaborated by Dr. Nuny Sulistiany Idris, M.Pd., the Head of the BIPA Education Master Study Program at SPS UPI regarding BIPA insights in the context of the internship program. The last material about the competency standards of BIPA teachers was presented by R. Dian Dia-an Muniroh.
With this internship activity, students are given the opportunity to work, contribute, and understand the world of work in a real context so that they can become competent human resources, have the opportunity to become reliable BIPA teachers and strengthen the foundation to open jobs related to BIPA. Towards a more specific goal, the interns are also expected to be able to improve their pedagogical, professional, social, personality, and cultural insight competencies as BIPA teachers, as well as expand the student network in the scope of BIPA after completing the internship program as BIPA teaching assistants at Huntingtower School, Australia.