A group of 25 Monash University students from the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation have recently returned from a two-week study tour of Rwanda, Africa.

The tour offered the students from Australia and South Africa the opportunity to take their learning out of the classroom to explore the themes of genocide, conflict and reconciliation first-hand.

The group spent a week at the University’s South African campus in Johannesburg, learning about the history of apartheid through lectures and visits to local museums and memorials.

During the second week the group toured Rwanda, where they learned about the origins and consequences of the 1994 genocide through the stories of its survivors. They also met with government officials who spoke about the challenge of rebuilding a society.

Director of Jewish Studies and tour leader Associate Professor Mark Baker said the course was a transformative experience for both staff and students.

“Rwanda today offers us a glimpse of the post-Auschwitz world before the Eichmann Trial in 1961 and before the Holocaust was seared into the consciousness and conscience of the world,” Associate Professor Baker said.

“It was fantastic for the students to be able to learn about these events and hear about people’s experiences in situ.”

Student Rene Pule said the study tour made it possible to better understand the history of the country.

“The visits to memorial sites allowed me to experience the reality of what went on during the genocide — it made the ordeal more real to me,” Rene said.

“I feel fortunate to have been part of this course and it will certainly have an impact on my future path.”

To learn more about Australian universities and studying down under, read the i-studentadvisor Australia issue.

The long awaited decision, reported by the New York Times, sees an abandonment of the English policy implemented in 2003 by former Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad. The intended outcome of the policy was to improve the employability and language skills of Malay graduates. The Malaysian Government state that the policy has failed to improve English in the vast majority of students and that grades have fallen since the policy was introduced.

Some critics have argued that the decision by the Government is mainly political. Professor James Chin, Head of the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Monash University in Malaysia, said of the Government “they decided to buckle under the pressure from the Malay nationalists who argue that by teaching students in English you are neglecting the position of the national language.”

Other critics are concerned at how the decline in English tuition may affect students after graduation. Shamsuddin Bardan, Executive Director of the Malaysian Employers Federation said, “this is a setback for the efforts to enhance the command of English for the students.”

Malaysian former student Gabrielle also commented “I am against the decision. For the country to move forward more students should be taught in English. It is essential for them to get ahead in the job market, particularly in today’s climate.”

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