Thirteen PSU delegates, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chusak Limsakul, PSU President, and Prof. Dr. Kanok Wongtrangan, Member of the Thai Parliament and Advisor to PSU President, undertook a visit to Jordan and Turkey from March 22-31, 2014. In Jordan, the PSU representatives visited the prestigious King's Academy and the renowned University of Jordan, where they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Subsequently, the PSU delegates also had the extraordinary honor of visiting the General Ifta' Department, and they concluded the Jordan trip by a visit to Mutah University, where they signed a MoU.
They also participated in a seminar kindly hosted by H.E. Mr. Piriya Khemon, Ambassador of Thailand to Jordan, and PSU. This seminar aimed to strengthen Thai students' skills in entrepreneurship and business, students who are studying in Jordan, and to offer them more chances to get better jobs after graduation.
In Turkey, the PSU group was kindly received by Fatih University and signed a MoU, followed by an informative trip to the well-known Gulen School. They have also visited Ankara University, and were kindly invited to an enlightening visit to the Presidency of Religious Affairs. The delegates were also received at the Royal Thai Embassy in Ankara.
Notable objectives of this visit were courtesy calls to the Grand Imam of each country, to exchange ideas about promoting awareness of wasatiyyah – the balanced median and moderation inherent in Islam. The delegates also had the academic objective to observe the educational management strategies and organization in both countries, and how these strategies could be implemented successfully at PSU. Another main objective of the trip was to learn about the management system of the visited schools for the establishment of the Islamic Demonstration School at PSU Pattani Campus. Specific objectives included inviting highly qualified experts (gurus) to provide valuable advice on language testing at the Arabic Language Centre of PSU Pattani Campus ; establishing staff and student exchange venues; conducting joint international research on topics of Thailand, Jordan and Turkey, whose shared results would yield valuable insight on internal issues from external points of view; inviting religious and academic leaders and scholars to the upcoming 3rd Islamic Conference, hosted by PSU in March 2015; seeking opportunities and funding for PSU lecturers to further their post-graduate studies in Jordan and Turkey; and inviting visiting professors to PSU in order to assist in the development of teaching and learning strategies of Islamic Studies at PSU.
Overall, this successful trip resulted in several key accomplishments with long-lasting benefits to PSU, its collaborating partners, and the international study of Islam.
