Category: Education

George Town – Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying has issued a directive for all educational institutions in Malaysia to strengthen their security measures. This order comes in response to a series of fake bomb threats that have targeted schools across the nation.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Ministry of Education (MOE) is placing the utmost importance on the safety of school children and is working closely with the police to monitor the situation. The MOE is committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of educational facilities. Lim emphasized this commitment during her address at SMK Agama (P) AlMashoor’s excellence awards ceremony for the 2023/2024 academic year, held in George Town today.

Yesterday, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department Director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain reported that since last Tuesday, police have received 51 reports of fake bomb threats involving a total of 48 schools. These threats have been widespread, affecting schools in various states, including Selangor (18 schools), Kuala Lumpur (7), Johor (6), Negeri Sembilan (3), Penang (4), Sarawak (5), Perak (3), Sabah (2), and Kedah (3).

In response to these incidents, authorities have opened 10 investigation papers under Section 507 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

The MOE’s directive to tighten security measures is a precautionary step to protect students and staff from potential threats and to maintain a safe educational environment. The recent spate of fake bomb threats has put educational institutions on high alert, necessitating an immediate and coordinated response from both education and law enforcement authorities.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) is set to celebrate its 47th Convocation Ceremony, where a total of 6,051 graduates will receive their academic degrees and diplomas. The event is scheduled from tomorrow until November 30 at the Dewan Besar, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Cultural and Arts Centre in Serdang.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, UPM Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr. Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah revealed that the convocation will see 520 graduates receiving Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees, 1,532 Master’s degrees, 3,988 Bachelor’s degrees, and 11 diplomas. The UPM Chancellor, Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, will present the scrolls to recipients on the first day. A notable group of 328 graduates from various agricultural programs is expected to receive their degrees and diplomas tomorrow.

In addition to the academic awards, Sultan Sharafuddin will confer honorary awards and titles. These include the Honorary Doctor of Finance award to Tan Sri Azman Hashim and the emeritus professor title to Datuk Dr. Mad Nasir Shamsudin, Datuk Dr. Abu Bakar Salleh, and the late Datuk Dr. Yaakob Che Man.

Several university-level award winners will also be recognized, with awards such as the Chancellor’s Gold Medal Prize and the Royal Scholarship Award (Bumiputra) being presented by Sultan Sharafuddin. Other awards include the Royal Education Award for non-Bumiputra, Alumni Gold Medal, Pak Rashid Foundation Gold Medal, Putra Agribio Medal, Razlan Putra Medal, Shell Tiram Wawasan Entrepreneurship Award, Tun Abdul Razak Award, and various other prestigious recognitions.

Notably, national athletes will also be among the graduates receiving their scrolls, including Jonathan Nyepa, Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli, Zaidatul Husna Zulkifli, Eng May Xin Winnie, Muhammad Ameer Nasrun Zulkeffli, Muhammad Azwan Zuwairi Mat Zizi, and Karishma S. Loganathan.

The convocation ceremonies will be graced by UPM’s pro-chancellors at different sessions. Tengku Amir Shah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah will attend the third session, while Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr. Syed Jalaluddin Syed Salim and Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr. Muhamad Zohadie Bardaie will participate in other sessions. Additionally, Tengku Amir Shah will award the emeritus professor title to Datuk Dr. Abdul Jalil Nordin, Dr. Jinap Selamat, and Dr. Robiah Yunus.

The event will also feature the Convocation Festival from November 24 to 30, showcasing agricultural saplings and products, including durians, sun melons, MD2 pineapples, chillies, mini eggplants, mushrooms, and livestock, along with the opening of the Putra Agricultural Clinic.

KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Prof Dr Razli Che Razak has been confirmed to continue his tenure as the Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) for another year, starting this Friday until November 23 next year.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the decision to reappoint Razli comes as part of a strategy to maintain the continuity of initiatives aimed at positioning UMK as a leader in entrepreneurial and enterprise education. The ministry expressed confidence in Razli’s leadership, emphasizing his potential to enhance a holistic model of human capital that embodies entrepreneurship and balance, thereby contributing to a robust and competitive national economy.

Razli, who earned his PhD in Operations Management from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), initially took up the vice-chancellor role at UMK on March 1, 2022. In the same statement, MOHE also announced the appointments of Prof Dr Shaharum Shamsuddin and Prof Dr Kaharuddin Dimyati as the deputy vice-chancellors for Student Affairs at USM and Research and Innovation at University of Malaya (UM), respectively. Both appointments are set to commence on December 1.

JOHOR BAHRU, MALAYSIA – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has achieved a leading position in producing graduates who are highly skilled and command premium incomes. This announcement was made by the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof Datuk Dr. Ahmad Fauzi Ismail.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, this accomplishment aligns with the Ministry of Higher Education’s (MOHE) new focus on fostering ‘high-income graduates’, a paradigm shift in employability metrics. The university’s success is in response to the Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin’s recommendation at the 2023 Graduate Job Market Conference. The conference’s goal was to increase the proportion of graduates earning a premium income of RM4,000 per month and above, through enhanced collaboration between universities, industry, and employers.

Ahmad Fauzi highlighted UTM’s impressive Graduate Employability (GE) percentage, noting that as many as 90 UTM graduates with Bachelor’s degrees are earning over RM10,000 monthly. This achievement coincides with the government’s initiative to foster the development of the Faculty of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the first of its kind in Malaysia. This initiative, backed by a RM20 million allocation announced in Budget 2024 by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, reflects the growing importance of AI technology in modern industries.

UTM’s commitment to leveraging AI technology aims at not only producing graduates proficient in AI but also capable of innovating in the field. The university’s ongoing 67th Convocation at Dewan Sultan Iskandar, which began last Saturday, involves 7,804 graduates, including recipients of Academic Prizes. Since 1972, UTM has produced 225,394 graduates, with 11,301 being international students from 100 countries.

Kota Kinabalu – The Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) in Ranau, Sabah, is poised to welcome its first batch of students in March next year, following its completion on September 25. This announcement was made by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the initial intake will include 180 students for Form One and Form Four. Located at an altitude of 721 meters above sea level, MRSM Ranau holds the distinction of being the highest MRSM in the country, with a capacity to accommodate up to 450 students. The handover ceremony of MRSM Ranau from Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) to the Sabah government and MARA was attended by Sabah Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, representing Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, and Petronas president and group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Taufik.

MRSM Ranau, situated at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu, was built with financial backing from Petronas. In a statement released in conjunction with the ceremony, Petronas revealed that the construction of MRSM Ranau involved a collaboration with the Sabah government and MARA and was developed at a cost of RM132 million. The statement highlighted that the facilities at MRSM Ranau have been meticulously planned to cater to the needs of students, teachers, and campus management, expressing confidence in the potential of Sabah’s youth to excel academically in this new environment.