6 ASEAN-India Student Exchange Programme (AISEP) Phase II Six students from PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences participated in the ASEAN-India Student Exchange Programme (AISEP) Phase II from the 1st to the 10th of May 2018. Organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and ASEAN Secretariat, this 10-day programme aims to foster greater culture and economic understanding between ASEAN & India. In conjunction with the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-India dialogue partnership, the event was hosted twice this year. The Bruneian delegate consists of 21 students from UBD (Universiti Brunei Darussalam), UTB (Universiti Teknologi Brunei) and UNISSA (Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali). The six student representatives from PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences (IHS) were: Aklimah Hj Mustapa and Amal Widaad Hj Mohaimin (PhD in Biomedical Science candidates), Nur Aziemah Mohd Azizi and Syahirah Hj Shahlehi (Master of Biomedical Science candidates), Nazurah Binti Sidup and DK Nur Hazimah Binti Pg Hasyilin (Master of Public Health candidates). This batch of students represents the second group hosted by AISEP for the year. Under the programme, Bruneian students and about 200 fellow participants from other ASEAN countries visited various organisations across four Indian cities (Agra, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune). These include the Bombay Stock Exchange, Godrej Industry, Sigma Electric Manufacturing Corporation, Bharat Forge, Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS), IES Management College and Research Centre, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mumbai, Symbiosis International University Pune, and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). They also visited landmarks including Agra Fort, Dilli Haat, Elephanta Caves, Humayun Tomb and Taj Mahal. The visit to India has been an eye-opening experience, as students learnt to better appreciate the free education, healthcare services and benefits, tax-free status, non-polluted and tranquil environment in Brunei. One of the students, Dk Nur Hazimah shared that the programme has encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone to take on worthy challenges. Another student, Amal Widaad was awed by the people’s respect and tolerance to one another in a highly diverse population. Finally, Nazurah shared that the visit to Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, during AISEP and the opportunity to network with other ASEAN participants were invaluable experiences. “The programme has encour-aged me to step out of my comfort zone and take on wor-thy challenges”
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