Bird watching and aves recording has become a new part of the educational programme for Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).

A dedicated annual bird watch event dubbed October BIG Day, which is held on the second weekend of every October, is set to spark the interest of bird watching and forest rehabilitation among UMS students.

This programme organised by UMS with the Sabah Bird Watchers Association (SBWA) is set to be an annual event for the university, said UMS through a statement issued by its Borneo Tourism Research Centre, Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy.

“The idea to have this programme is a continuation of the Winged Wonders Programme organised by Shangri-La Rasa Ria with the collaboration of BTRC and SBWA last month,” the statement read

It said that October BIG Day would not only encourage more students to learn more about birds but also be used as another form of tourism product, seeing how the UMS campus is often used as a bird migration point, it added.

Such activities also promote forest health and conservation, the statement read.

SBWA president Ron Pudin said this October BIG Day programme held worldwide is an opportunity for bird watchers to record the species of birds encountered via an eBird application, for a period of 24 hours.

“Today (Oct 12), UMS with SBWA, the Institute for Development Studies Sabah (IDS) and Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort, Tuaran, had this event at the ODEC beach of UMS and around the UMS Health Ecotourism forest area and hiking trail,” he said.

He said programmes like these were important because birds contribute to forest rehabilitation initiatives whereby with the presence of birds, researchers and scientists would be able to determine the health status of a forest.

They would also have an idea of the types of biodiversity present at a forest area and allow bird watchers to get to know the types of birds, specifically those endemic to Sabah, said Pudin.

“We hope participants will have an increased awareness and interest in birds watching and recording using the apps available,” he added.

He explained that they could function as community scientists and at the same time boost interest among locals and foreigners to come to Sabah for this purpose.

More than 50 participants among students and staff of UMS together with the SBWA and IDS members took part in this event.

They used binoculars to spot the birds before putting into record the types of birds they saw.

Also present were the faculty dean Associate Prof Dr Mohd Rahimie Abd Karim and BTRC director, Associate Prof Dr Balvinder Kaur Kler.

Sabah's Head of State, Tun Juhar Mahiruddin, has stepped in to support a student from Paitan in her pursuit of tertiary education.

Crisnanalina Jumis, 20, from Kampung Dalamas Paitan, had been struggling to pay her registration fees at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and cover related expenses.

In addition to providing a laptop and offering financial assistance for Crisnanalina's registration at UMS, he will also cover her admission fees.

"This generous support from Tun Juhar is aimed at ensuring Crisnanalina has the necessary resources to continue her studies.

"As the UMS Chancellor, the welfare of students is very important to Tun Juhar. This assistance is intended to alleviate some of Crisnanalina's burdens and inspire her to face the challenges of university life," a statement from the state palace read.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) is reaching out to a 20-year-old from Paitan to facilitate her admission to the university.

Crisnanalina Jumis, from Kg. Dalamas in Paitan, was reported to be struggling to pay her registration fees for admission to the university.

Due to poor internet connectivity in her hometown, she was unable to complete the online scholarship applications.

UMS vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr. Kasim Mansor said he has instructed the Student Affairs and Finance Department to contact Crisnanalina.

"UMS is deeply concerned about Crisnanalina's financial challenges, and we will ensure that she receives adequate support upon registering at the university.

"The department will also assist her in applying for financial aid related to her needs," he said in a statement yesterday.

Kasim added that new students, including Crisnanalina, need not worry about registration fees, as UMS offers initiatives such as deferred payments to help ease the financial burden.

"Furthermore, the university provides various forms of assistance, including financial aid (MyCare), food baskets, and zakat donations.

"We also guide students in applying for financial support from agencies such as PTPTN, state scholarships, Yayasan Sabah, and MARA," he added.

For further information on welfare assistance, students can contact the Student Affairs and Finance Department at 088-320 060 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A total of 4,545 students have been offered admission to Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) for the 2024/2025 academic session, with registration taking place from September 28 to 29, 2024.

According to UMS Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Datuk Dr. Kasim Hj Mansor, this figure includes 3,640 students at the UMS Kota Kinabalu Campus, 701 students at the UMS International Campus Labuan, and 204 students at the Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture in Sandakan.

"This total consists of 3,286 students (72.3%) from Sabah, 718 (15.8%) from Peninsular Malaysia, 470 (10.3%) from Sarawak, and 56 (1.2%) from the Federal Territory of Labuan.

"The remaining 15 students are international students from five countries: China, Japan, Brunei, Pakistan, and Indonesia," he stated.

He said this during a press conference after conducting a review of the student registration process today.

Kasim also noted that based on the statistics, 1,468 students, or 32%, are male, while 3,077 students, or 68%, are female.

"This intake also includes special pathways under UMS, with 2,579 offers for B40 students through UPUonline, nine students with disabilities (OKU), 11 sports athletes, and two Indigenous students.

"All new students will participate in the Orientation Week program (Minggu Suai Mesra, MSM) until October 6 as preparation to adapt to campus life," he said.

During his visit to the residential colleges, Kasim highlighted that facilities in the residential colleges, including water supply, are in good condition and ready to meet students' needs for the academic session.

"The university administration has also set different registration times for new students as an effort to avoid congestion on registration day.

"Therefore, the atmosphere and process today are very orderly, thanks to the improvements implemented," he added.