Herman Lagon
Bangkok, Thailand, June 3, 2024 – The Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology (ISUFST) delegation received a significant commitment from Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi (RMUTT) to renew their partnership during a visit coinciding with the celebration of Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana’s birthday.
“We shall definitely renew our collaboration officially,” announced Assist. Prof. Dr. Lalita Siriwattananon, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology at RMUTT. Her statement came during a meeting this Monday, June 3, with the ISUFST delegation, which includes 12 faculty and administrators from the College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (CFAS) and two representatives from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region VI Office.
Previously, ISUFST and RMUTT had a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that lapsed with limited progress due to various concerns, including the pandemic. Nonetheless, Dr. Lalita expressed optimism about the renewed partnership, stating, “I can feel that we shall have a stronger and more palpable partnership, both having new management and with the level of more focused interaction that we are now having.”
The ISUFST delegation visited RMUTT’s agriculture and fisheries facilities and conducted bilateral orientation and exploratory talks. Team leader Dr. Dennis Gomez and CFAS Dean Dr. Rolindo Demo-os introduced ISUFST and its fisheries program to its Thai counterparts. It was then followed by the more engaging colloquia that encompass possibilities for collaboration.
Assist. Prof. Dr. Pimpan Pimonrat, Assistant Dean for International Relations, reaffirmed RMUTT’s commitment to a more official collaboration, particularly stressing academic and research partnerships. She emphasized her office’s willingness to assist in potential teacher and student exchanges in agriculture technology, especially in animal husbandry and aquaculture fisheries.
Meanwhile, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Boontarika Thongdonphum, Deputy Director of the Office of Academic Resources and Information Technology and Fisheries lecturer, promised to maintain communications among faculty members to develop specific programs that enhance academic services for both institutions.”
The visit concluded with an exchange of tokens and hopes for an MOU renewal ceremony in the near future, symbolizing the shared commitment to this partnership.
To note, ISUFST’s international cross-visit, a historic first-of-its-kind for the university and the country’s fisheries education sector, will continue until June 8, 2024. The team is still to visit the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center SEAFDEC, the two campuses of Kasetsart University, and the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT). (Herman Lagon/PAMCO)
