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Since it opened in 2000, international students from 109 countries and regions* have studied here at APU.
Furthermore, over 6000 graduates are now active in different countries around the world.
This time, President CASSIM and member of the advisory Committee,
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Japan,
His Excellency Mr. Blagovest SENDOV met and discussed the educational role of APU.
*As of May 1, 2009 |
 
 
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| CASSIM |
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I am really grateful that the Ambassador can be with us today. When I was a young college student, some of my closest friends were from Central and Eastern Europe and they always had a unique outlook on life which I found extremely stimulating. I think that because APU has students from almost 90 different countries and regions that this real mix and diversity is also a great stimulus. |
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| Ambassador |
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You are in a university which has a very specific role because this contact between people from different countries is also an educational element which can't be learnt from books: it's learnt by coexistence. |
| CASSIM |
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You are quite right, interpersonal relationships are vital. Our students are not only learning in the classroom, they are also learning through working together, doing projects together and spending their free time together. |
| Ambassador |
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I am somewhat skeptical of technology in education, it has its place in education, but if you go to the extreme you loose the most important aspect of the university: human interaction. |
| CASSIM |
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I think you are right, it's the meeting of different minds, it's the meeting of different talents, backgrounds, cultures, and all of this has a developmental effect on the human being that you can't buy with money or attain just with knowledge. I think that it is very profound that in the end it's people who make civilizations, not technology. |
| Ambassador |
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One side of education is knowledge, you have mathematians, engineers, economists, but the other side is wisdom. It is very dangerous to have well educated people who are not wise. Knowledge and wisdom must go together and because of this, I see the university as a place where it is possible for students not only to study management or mathematics, but also people, the humanitarian subjects and social sciences. Workers not only have to fulfill the orders of the company, they also have to think about society: what is best for society. |
| CASSIM |
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Well I think our philosophy of trying to get young people to meet the changes of society is very similar to the kind of aspirations you have. We haven't found the perfect system yet, but we are trying to place our focus on instilling knowledge and skills, developing the human mind and releasing its potential.
As you say, it's very important that the people grow having connections with other people, and not in isolation. When I was an international college student I stayed in a dormitory where I made many good friends and we have remained friends to this day. But in many dormitories today, everyone is locked up in their room, they can cook, they can shower, they can do everything in their room, they don't need to meet others. We have tried in our dormitories not to let that happen.
Please tell me, Mr. Ambassador, of your aspirations for our university. |
| Ambassador |
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Well, I have very high expectations for your university because it's a very special type of university which has the ability to bring together students from all over the world. The future leaders and managers must have a more global view in order to understand the issues facing the world, such as globalization. I think you have this opportunity to educate such people and I expect that in 10 years from now you will have many prime ministers and government officials coming to Japan and saying "I studied at APU".
I have a message to your Bulgarian students: learn as much as possible, and never forget that the people around you will know and feel Bulgaria through your actions and behavior. I hope you will all behave in such a way that people will understand that Bulgaria is a beautiful and well educated nation. |
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Talks with the President of APU
His Excellency Mr. Blagovest SENDOV Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Japan |
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