Singapore Management University (SMU) received a special guest on its campus on 3 May 2014 – Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Mr Hakubun Shimomura. Upon arrival at SMU, Mr and Mrs Shimomura, and their eight-member delegation, which included members of the Embassy of Japan in Singapore, was given a warm welcome by SMU President, Professor Arnoud De Meyer and Vice President for Business Development and External Relations, Associate Professor Annie Koh, as well as other members of the SMU management.
The Japanese delegation visited SMU on the recommendation of Genting Singapore, which is in discussion with SMU’s Centre for Professional Studies (CPS) on a possible cross cultural collaboration that entails structured training workshops and industrial attachment immersion opportunities for both Singaporeans students and Japanese students who are on exchange programme at SMU. Minister Shimomura’s visit, which gave him a better understanding of Singapore’s only city university, was therefore timely.
[Photo: Minister Shimomura given a tour of SMU’s campus facilities by SMU student ambassadors.]
“Each year, about 30 Japanese students come to SMU for their exchange programmes, and we also send the same number to Japan,” explained Professor De Meyer, who added that the University offers its students a holistic education which goes beyond the classroom and includes overseas exposure. To this, Minister Shimomura was happy to note that both SMU and Japan hope to increase the number students going abroad.
[Photo (L): Professor De Meyer sharing details of the SMU education with Minister Shimomura. On his right is Associate Professor Annie Koh.]
[Photo (R): Professor Arnoud De Meyer (R) and Minister Shimomura (L) exchanging gifts after the meeting.]
During his discussion with Professor De Meyer, Minister Shimomura was also interested to learn more about SMU’s admission process. To this, Professor De Meyer explained that every year, the University shortlists about 6,000 applicants who go through an interview process to see if, beyond their academic abilities, these applicants will be able to fit well into the interactive pedagogy that is being adopted at SMU.
Mr and Mrs Shimomura also interacted with SMU students who had been on exchange programmes to Japan, as well as Japanese faculty and staff of SMU.
[Photo: (Front row third to fifth from left) Minister Shimomura, Professor Arnoud De Meyer, Mrs Shimomura, Associate Professor Annie Koh and Mr Tan Hee Teck, President of Genting Singapore, with local and Japanese students, faculty and staff of SMU.]
[Featured Photo: Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology Mr Hakubun Shimomura interacting with SMU students during a visit to the University on 3 May 2014.]