Building skills through diversity
The 100th course, which ended on 19 October 2019, featured laboratory exercises, research projects, lectures and scientific visits as well as sessions on how to train others on the topic. Organized by the Malaysian Nuclear Agency in cooperation with the IAEA, it attracted 35 participants from Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Jamaica, Jordan, Kuwait, Lao P.D.R, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.
“I really enjoyed the diversity of the group - we have so much to learn from one another. Unlike other courses, PGEC is also about sharing experiences with people from similar fields of expertise within the scientific community,” said participant Syarul Iman from the Malaysian Ministry of Health.
IAEA Radiation Safety Specialist Amparo Cristobal took part in the course closing ceremony.
“I was happy to see that all students were satisfied with the course and committed to apply what they had learnt in practice,” she said. “Like earlier PGEC graduates, they will help build solid global expertise in radiation protection and radiation source safety.”
Malaysia, home to a PGEC regional training centre, has hosted both national and regional courses for the past 15 years.
The IAEA technical cooperation programme supports PGECs. In 2018, PGECs are held in Argentina, Ghana, Greece, Malaysia and Morocco.