Namangan, UPI
The academic relationship between Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) and the Namangan State Institute of Foreign Languages (NSIFL) has entered a strategic new chapter. On March 2, 2026, UPI representative Prof. Eri Kurniawan, M.A., Ph.D., officially delivered the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) documents signed by the Rectors of both UPI and NSIFL.
The handover of these documents signals the formal commencement of collaboration at the university level. Notably, the Workshop on Writing Articles for Reputable International Journals, held on the same day, served as the very first realization of the newly ratified partnership.
The workshop, held in the Meeting Room of the NSIFL Campus, was attended by faculty members from the Department of English Education. Dr. Akmal Amanov, Head of the Department, who personally invited the expert team from UPI, emphasized that this training directly addresses their institutional challenges.
“Publishing in Scopus-indexed journals has become a primary Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for our department. For 2026, we have set a target to publish at least 20 international journal articles. Therefore, this training is crucial to equip our lecturers with effective and high-quality publication strategies,” Dr. Akmal explained in his opening remarks.
During the training session, Prof. Eri Kurniawan provided an in-depth exploration of research literacy and publication strategies, ranging from techniques for selecting high-quality references to structuring competitive manuscript drafts. The materials were presented using a genre-based approach, a synthesis of Prof. Eri’s extensive research conducted over the past six years.
This approach is specifically designed to help researchers navigate the rhetorical structures and linguistic conventions expected by editors of reputable international journals, thereby increasing the likelihood of manuscript acceptance.
Prof. Eri’s presence in Namangan is part of a high-level UPI delegation visit to Uzbekistan, led by Prof. Dr. Agus Setiabudi, M.Si., Vice Rector for Research, Community Service, and Partnerships.
Beyond NSIFL, the UPI delegation conducted an academic roadshow to several prominent institutions, including Chirchik State Pedagogical University, Uzbekistan State World Languages University, and Ma’mun University. The mission aims to expand UPI’s internationalization programs through joint/dual degree schemes, student mobility, faculty exchange, and collaborative research and publications.
Participants showed great enthusiasm, noting that the training provided practical tools immediately applicable to their needs. As a concrete follow-up, a continuous manuscript mentoring program will be established for NSIFL lecturers to ensure their drafts are submission-ready.
Furthermore, this cooperation will be strengthened by a forthcoming Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between NSIFL and the UPI School of Postgraduate Studies (SPs UPI), focusing on specific joint research projects and future publication collaborations. (Contributor: Eri Kurniawan)