PM scholarships send 10 on Japanese cultural immersion

PM scholarships send 10 on Japanese cultural immersion

Ten Japanese language students from Ara Institute of Canterbury will travel to Japan’s ancient, mountainous region of Takachiho in January for a six week cultural intensive at Miyazaki University.

The immersive language experience in the southern region of Japan was confirmed after Ara was successful in the latest Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia (PMSA) announced on 12 June.

“Japanese language at Ara is set apart by the emphasis on oral language skills, along with written language skills. Our graduates are equipped to speak confidently and develop bilingual skills appropriate for social, academic and professional environments so that they can study or work in Japan. The Bachelor of Language (Japanese) students will benefit so much from this immersion because there is nothing like practising the language in context and absorbing the cultural protocols in action as well,” Director of International Beth Knowles said.

Miyazaki University is a new relationship for Ara, however sending students and staff to japan is nothing new. Computing staff presented at theNational Institute of Technology Kagoshima College in February and each year Ara sends students from the Bachelor of Japanese Language to several partner institutions in Japan on exchange.

The visit to Japan is also part of a programme of developing global relationships at Ara, which has so far extended to Japan, India, South Korea, China, USA, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia. International visits are of immense benefit to Ara students’ professional and personal development, helping them prepare to take on the world after graduation.

202 New Zealand students from universities and institutes of technology were selected to travel to top institutions throughout Asia as part of the second 2016/17 PMSA round.

Read more: The Indian Advantage – PMSA-funded business trip to India, April 2017.

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