MANADO — The Micro Teaching Laboratory of the Department of Information and Communication Technology Education (PTIK), Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Manado (UNIMA), has unexpectedly become one of the most strategic locations in North Sulawesi. From March 7 to 9, 2026, the facility was officially designated as the venue for the Interview Selection for Administrative Mentors and Teaching Caregiver Mentors of SMA Taruna Nusantara, a national boarding school institution that will soon open a new campus in Langowan, Minahasa.
The trust placed in the PTIK Department of the Faculty of Engineering at UNIMA is not without strong foundation. The Micro Teaching Laboratory is a flagship facility specifically designed to observe and evaluate educators' performance in conditions that closely simulate real classroom situations. Equipped with recording systems, observation rooms, and a layout that supports multi-aspect assessment, this laboratory is an ideal choice for a national-level selection process such as this.
Over the course of three days, the corridors and rooms within the PTIK Department were filled with the movement of participants from various backgrounds. They were candidates competing for the positions of Administrative Mentors and Teaching Caregiver Mentors, two roles that will form the foundation of dormitory life and the teaching-learning process at the Langowan campus.
The interview process conducted inside the Micro Teaching Laboratory reflected rigorous selection standards. Within this space, participants were evaluated in depth: how they presented ideas, responded to challenging situations, demonstrated pedagogical competence, and affirmed their mental readiness to adapt to the demanding and disciplined rhythm of boarding school life.
For the Faculty of Engineering at UNIMA, hosting a national-scale event such as this represents tangible recognition of the institution’s facilities and capacity. The selection of the PTIK Department as a hosting partner also highlights UNIMA’s active role in supporting the development of a high-quality educational ecosystem in North Sulawesi, not only as a producer of graduates, but also as a strategic collaboration space for national educational institutions.
For the Faculty of Engineering at UNIMA, hosting a national-scale event such as this represents tangible recognition of the institution’s facilities and capacity. The selection of the PTIK Department as a hosting partner also highlights UNIMA’s active role in supporting the development of a high-quality educational ecosystem in North Sulawesi, not only as a producer of graduates, but also as a strategic collaboration space for national educational institutions.
With the conclusion of the selection process on March 9, 2026, the Micro Teaching Laboratory of PTIK Faculty of Engineering UNIMA has marked its role in the early history of the establishment of SMA Taruna Nusantara in Minahasa, a small contribution with potentially long-lasting impact for future generations.
