KOTA KINABALU: It was a dream come true for Nursyazliana Bulkia when she was offered a place at Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

The 19-year-old graduated from Labuan Matriculation College in accounting with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.92, but almost had to give up her dream to continue her studies due to financial constraints.

Nursyazliana found new hope through the Higher Education Ministry's Siswa Sulung Keluarga Malaysia (Sulung) programme.

She was among 10 students from low-income families offered places at UMS. She will pursue a Bachelors of Accounting with Honours degree in for four years.

"I'm so happy with the offer. To be honest, I almost give up on further studies due to financial problems. I didn't want to trouble my family, but Alhamdulillah, I received an offer from UMS.

"The offer letter was personally delivered by UMS vice chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor and other officials at my home in Putatan.

"Kasim also presented cash assistance of RM1,000 and a basket of food to facilitate initial arrangements for studying at UMS.

"I accepted the offer because I didn't want to miss the opportunity to continue my studies. It is my dream to get a degree and become an accountant," she told the New Straits Times when met after the student pledge ceremony at the UMS Chancellor Hall here today.

Nursyazliana, whose parents are factory workers, believed that knowledge and education could change the fate of those in the B40 category, especially in improving their socio-economic level.

"I want my parents and my siblings to be proud of me. They are my motivation. I want to become a successful student. I hope to achieve Dean's List Award every semester.

"It is no easy task to excel academically but this is my commitment. I don't need to worry about money while studying. All I need to do is to focus on my studies and change the fate of my family," said the fourth of five siblings.

The Sulung programme was the brainchild of caretaker Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad to help the first person in a family from the B40 group attend university.

The programme will enable outstanding B40 students the opportunity to further their studies despite facing financial constraints as well as provide motivation for family members and the local community.

Selected students not only get a special entry route to public universities but are also offered scholarships, monthly allowances, hostels and mentoring until they get a job.

The programme involves eight public universities including UMS and each university will take about 10 students in the first year of this programme's implementation.

A total of 76 students from the B40 group in the country have been selected to pursue their studies at public universities through the programme.

KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Sabah Islamic Religious Council (MUIS) on tithe collection and distribution.

Through the MoA, UMS was appointed as the collection and distribution agent for property tithe on behalf of MUIS, said its Vice Chancellor, Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor.

“Proceeds from the tithe collection are used to help UMS students who come from low-income groups. This appointment is a good initiative between UMS and MUIS where average annual tithe collected is about RM1 million,” said Kasim when met after the MoA agreement signing ceremony.

He disclosed that from the amount to be collected, 50 percent will be used for providing assistance to students facing financial problems and the rest will be returned to MUIS.

“Therefore, it is hoped that with this initiative, we will be able to empower students’ capacity and subsequently be able to improve their quality of life,” he said.

UMS was represented by Kasim and the university’s registrar, Luqman Ridha Anwar, at the signing ceremony while MUIS was represented by its CEO Ramlan Awang Ali and Deputy Chief Assistant Secretary (Zakat Division) Iwansuzairie Hari.

The ceremony was witnessed by Chief Minister cum UMS’ Pro Chancellor Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor; UMS Board chairman Datuk Seri Panglima Abdul Rahman Dahlan and Special Tasks and Coordination Minister cum state Education Exco Datuk Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif.

KOTA KINABALU: The Oil and Gas (O&G) Engineering Programme, Faculty of Engineering, (FKJ) Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), held the 2nd International Conference on Oil and Gas Industry, Technologies, and Applications 2022 (ICOGITA 2022) here recently. 

The event, which held virtually through Webex participated by 15 local and international universities, and two local oil and gas companies as invited speakers, scientific committees, presenters, and reviewers.

According to the FKJ statement, the conference focused on the sustainability and IR4.0 technologies which have become high concerns to the industrialists, researchers and academics, private sectors, and policy makers. 

“The theme for ICOGITA 2022 was ‘Current and Emerging Trends in Oil and Gas Industry, Technologies, and Applications’, which was designed to disperse the latest research findings and progresses in the O&G to local and international communities. 

“The first keynote speech delivered by the Chief Executive Officer / Managing Director of Sabah Oil and Gas Development Corporation (SOGDC), Haji Abdul Kadir Haji Abdullah @ OKK Haji Damsal with the speech covered on the current emerging trends in O&G industry. 

“The second keynote speaker was the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) UMS, Professor Ir. Dr. RosalamSarbatly with his title ‘Sustainable Technology in the Oil and Gas Industry and Waste Management,” said a statement here today.

Rosalam also officiated the opening ceremony. Also present was the chairman of ICOGITA 2022, Professor Ir. Ts. Dr. Zainal Zakaria.The two-days event held with five parallel sessions.

KOTA KINABALU: The Borneo Tourism Research Centre (BTRC) at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) will host a Community Based Tourism (CBT) Symposium in collaboration with Sabah Tourism Board.

The CBT Symposium will be held on the 2nd of December 2022 with the theme ‘Rural Tourism Prosperity: Transforming the Well-Being of Local Communities’. 

As the recovery of tourism continues, it is timely to deliberate on the importance of the CBT model in ensuring shared prosperity amongst destination communities. 

The symposium will take place in a hybrid mode, on-site at UMS and via Webex for remote attendees. Registration will open next month. 

Recently, Director of BTRC, Dr. Balvinder K. Kler and her team of researchers paid a courtesy call to Madam Noredah Othman, the Chief Executive Officer, Sabah Tourism Board to consolidate plans for the CBT Symposium and discuss further collaborations on research and training. 

BTRC hopes to document the important role played by Sabah Tourism Board over the past three decades to chart tourism strategies which continue to bear fruit as seen in the growth of rural tourism products.

Sabah offers numerous niche markets for example ecotourism including birdwatching, dive tourism, and adventure tourism.

A recently published book chapter focuses on another important niche market in Sabah. Titled “Battlefield Tourism: the Legacy of Sandakan in Malaysian Borneo”, co-authored by Dr. Balvinder and Ms. Cassie Forsythe, Communications & Digital Manager, STB. This publication is one of 36 chaptersin the ‘Handbook of Niche Tourism’ edited by the world renown Professor Marina Novelli and colleagues published by Edward Elgar Publishing.

The chapter documents how the tragedy of war in Borneo evolved into a niche market for tourism and also explores stakeholder relationships to battlefield sites around Sabah.  Both parties agreed to strengthen the relationship between town and gown to ensure research conducted at the university is impactful for community and industry.