Universitas Ma Chung Bertaraf Internasional

“Universitas Ma Chung Bertaraf Internasional”

WHAT???!!!

“S” is for shocked, startled, surprised, snaps, sssshhh . . .

I was flabbergasted to see that writing on the ballyhoo right at the corner of Puncak Esberg Street. Do they know what that means? Do they know what it implies? Do they ever realize how much hard work we have to put in to attain that international standard?

But first things first is a very simple question: do they know what “international” means?

I have been observing very closely how Ma Chung lecturers and students demonstrate their English proficiency. I talk to some of them in English, attend Forkomil where English is compulsory, analyze my colleagues’ written e-mails, and I came to a rough estimation about their English proficiency. On average, they may be at the low-intermediate level. I have to check my estimation against the descriptions set by Council European of Framework or Interagency Language Roundtable, but anyway, I think I am optimistic enough that Ma Chung can start a major undertaking of heading toward English-speaking campus. And that’s probably a step toward becoming an international campus.

I have been interviewing lecturers from Industrial Engineering, Information Technology, and Accountancy, and can start sketching out a profile of their needs for development of English proficiency. I will write about this in a more detailed fashion in a separate posting; for now, suffice it to say that despite Ma Chung’s occasional chaos in its management style, its lecturers and students have the potential and the right attitude toward English. That’s a good sign, already. All they need to have is a very able, fully functional and responsive language center. Which is what I am developing now. Which is why the Ubaya Rector’s Decree of my reappointment as the Director of Ubaya Language Center is dated exactly the same as the Letter of Instruction from Ma Chung Rector assigning me to develop a Ma Chung language center!