Bukhara State University is actively working on establishment of mutually beneficial cooperation with leading foreign higher educational institutions. This is reflected primarily in the implementation of programs of cooperation and exchange, which are aimed at improving the quality of education and professional competences of the academic staff.
On April 16, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Bukhara State University and Wakayama University of Japan.
Negotiations with the Wakayama University were held throughout the last year, during which the parties agreed on priority areas of cooperation. These agreements were reflected in the memorandum signed yesterday.
The delegation of Wakayama University was represented by Hirokazu Taki (the President of the Wakayama University), Haiyuan Wu (Vice-President for Research and International Cooperation), Kazue Nakamoto (Executive Officer of the Center of Tourism Research) and Professor Takuya Fujii.
Rector of Bukhara State University prof. A.A.Tulaganov and the President of Wakayama University H.Taki in their welcome speeches underlined that this cooperation is a good example of friendly relations between Uzbekistan and Japan. Also congratulatory speeches during the ceremony were made by the Head of the Department for Tourism Development under the Khokimiyat of the Bukhara region F.S.Khodzhaev, Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency JICA Uzbekistan Office Muneo Takasaka and co-director of the Uzbek-Japan Center Hirohiko Takata.
Wakayama University was founded in 1949 as a result of merging of three educational institutions and is the only national university in Wakayama Prefecture.
Currently more than 5,000 students in the university study at four faculties in all degrees of higher education:
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Tourism
- Faculty of Economics
- Faculty of Systems Engineering
After signing the memorandum, guests made a campus tour to get acquainted with the conditions, created for the educational process and scientific research at university. As a starting point for practical cooperation, lectures were given in the English-speaking groups of the Faculty of Tourism.
As “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range” passing near Wakayama is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List, this region has all the opportunities for tourism development. The Faculty of Tourism of Wakayama University has made significant progress in this area and has been awarded the membership of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The degree programs of the faculty have a prestigious TedQual accreditation (Tourism Education Quality).
Center of Tourism Researches operates at the faculty, where a number of working groups have been set up in fields covering tourism topics. More than 80 researchers are involved in national and international research at the Center.
On the second day of the visit, negotiations were held on establishing cooperation between the faculties of tourism of both sides. The parties agreed on a mutual exchange of students, teachers, researchers, as well as on the implementation of joint research projects.
Guests were invited to take part in annual festivals held in Bukhara, such as "Silk and spices", "Khoja Nasreddin", "Bukhara City Day", "Oriental food", "Melon festival" and others. The guests were very interested in the active participation of the students of Faculty of Tourism of Bukhara State University as volunteer guides in the "Travel within Uzbekistan!" program.
An agreement was reached on the use of curricula and materials of the Wakayama University Faculty of Tourism at the Faculty of Tourism of Bukhara State University. It is planned that during the 2018-2019 academic year one of the Japanese professors will teach short-term courses at the University of Bukhara.
Visitors, having visited the historical part of the city of Bukhara, noted that they got a great impression of unique architectural monuments and rich cultural heritage.
The delegation of Wakayama University will also meet with the administration of the State Committee for Tourism Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Source: Information service
19.04.2018
