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| The figure of Mochammad Wachid, a researcher of tofu waste as a source of electrical energy (Photo: Istimewah) |
It has become a must for young people in Indonesia to continue their education as high as possible, even abroad. Mochammad Wachid, STP, said this. MSc., as a lecturer in Food Technology at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM). He is currently pursuing doctoral studies and studying in Sakura, Japan.
Wachid, as he is usually called, is currently pursuing his doctoral studies at the University of Miyazaki. He told me that it all started with his acquaintance with one of the lecturers at his current university. Moreover, the system in Japan encourages lecturers to know and know their prospective students. Interestingly, the lecturer or sensei directly selects prospective students themselves.
"Here, those who want to continue their doctoral or master's education must know and know the lecturers. You don't have to know directly. It can also be through conferences. I'm lucky because my sensei is very interested in the research I'm doing," he said.
The research discusses the use of tofu waste to be converted into electricity with a microbial fuel cell. This method of fermentation of tofu waste treatment will generate electricity. He explained the difference between making tofu in Indonesia and Japan. Indonesia usually uses acid for clotting, while Japan uses salt that is not salty. For now, he is conducting research with two waste samples from Indonesia and Japan with waste treatment methods that produce energy.
This father of three children said he experienced culture shock when he first went to Japan with his family. One of them is different temperatures and weather. He came in December 2020, which is during winter. Even with cooking activities, they often do to save costs and avoid alcoholic foods and pork.
"Alhamdulillah, after a few months, we were able to adapt. But there is one drawback that I still have, namely the language barrier. Even though I've been trying to learn Japanese, I'm still having a hard time. Moreover, not all Japanese can speak English. So I have to bring my device to translate," he said.
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Wachid explained that several aspects distinguish Indonesian and Japanese education. In Japan, character education has been instilled from an early age. So that morals and honesty always take precedence. He also very rarely finds discrimination against outsiders, as well as bullying at school.
"Character education from an early age distinguishes Japan and Indonesia. So cases of bullying are quite rare. Even my child is doing well here in school," he said.
This Lumajang native also hopes that scholars or masters in Indonesia will continue to be enthusiastic about continuing higher education. Because according to him, when studying in other people's countries, not only knowledge is obtained, but also the experience of getting a new culture, new language, meeting new people and others. "Don't forget to also return to Indonesia and build the nation in various ways," he hoped. (cdr/haq/wil)
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