Two students from the Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy, University Malaysia Sabah, Ho Shu Jun (何淑祯) and Yeoh Peyee (杨品瑜), received scholarships from Asian International Mobility for Students (AIMS) program and spent a semester abroad as exchange students in Dongguk University Gyeongju, South Korea.

Ho Shu Jun, a second-year student majoring in Tourism Management shared her experience. According to her, she is enriched with the experiences she had in South Korea from March to July 2022.

“I am appreciative of the opportunity given by UMS to participate in this international mobility program. It is said that reading a thousand books is not comparable to travelling a thousand miles. It is true that sometimes the lessons you draw from your own life experiences are richer and more relatable than those you learn from books,” quipped Shu Jun.

Arriving in South Korea in March has been a challenge as COVID-19 restrictions had not been lifted in the country. After arriving in Incheon Korea (인천), one of the country’s three main cities, both Shu Jun and Peyee were quarantined for seven days. Every day for a week, food was delivered to our rooms on schedule.

After seven days of quarantine, we had to take the Airport Railroad and Korea Train Express to get from Incheon to Gyeongju City. Gyeongju (경주시) is the birthplace of Buddhism, which is also a home to numerous important historical landmarks in Korea, including Cheomseongdae (점성대) and Woljeong Bridge (월정교).

Dongguk University (동국대학교), a comprehensive university, was established in 1906. It is unique in that it is the only institution in South Korea to offer a major in Buddhist studies. The professors and students at Dongguk University were kind to them on their first day there. Ho Shu Jun and Yeoh Peyee took five classes taught in English. The credits were transferable upon returning to UMS. 

During their classes, Ho and Yeoh had the opportunities to sample local Korean cuisines besides learning about Gyeongju’s history and culture. The Silla Dynasty left behind a wealth of historical and cultural artifacts in the city of Gyeongju, many of which have been conserved and are now beautifully on exhibit. Both students were invited by their professor to visit her hometown.

Professor Jay Soo who is a Daegu native invited both students to learn more about her hometown and took them there to explore the local cuisine, culture, and history. In comparison to Gyeongju, Daegu (대구) is a comparatively metropolitan metropolis. It is the fourth largest city in Korea. They were also informed that Daegu had another name. It is “Daefrica”. What does the name “Daegu + Africa” signify? This unique appellation for Daegu is a result of the city’s intense summer heat.

In one of their classes, Professor Jay Soo had presented the Korea Virtual Reality Tour as an example of Korea’s cutting-edge technology. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that have impacted the lives of many people all over the world, South Korea has developed a Virtual Reality Tour website to allow people to “Go out and vacation” even if they were impacted by the pandemic.

The exchange students from Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and few Korean students were given the opportunities to participate in two days and one night field trip to Busan hosted by Korea Maritime & Ocean University (국럽한국해양대학교). The Korea Maritime & Ocean University is an important maritime institution with a concentration on shipping, logistics, marine, and transportation.

The students visited the Korea Maritime Museum Tour, Busan Headquarters Customs Tour, Busan New Port Public Relations Hall Tour, and Busan New Port BCT Terminal Tour to learn about the history and culture of Busan city.

Ho Shu Jun and Yeoh Peyee encountered with many individuals on this trip who were welcoming and eager to assist them when they needed it, which left them with a positive and insightful view of South Korea. Yeoh Peyee, also a second-year student, majoring in Tourism Management believed that the AIMS programme brings a lot of benefits to students. Both students have gained a lot from their time spent in South Korea as exchange students. They have also learned more about the country’s history and culture.

Associate Professor Dr. Mohd. Rahimie Abd. Karim, Dean of Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy, UMS emphasized the importance of international mobility experience as part of students’ learning experiences. The faculty has been actively engaged in international mobility program for both staff and students. In September, two students from the faculty will enroll in autumn semester in Dongguk University WISE Campus, while three Korean students will spend one semester in UMS (October 2022).

According to the Director of the Centre of Internationalization and Global Engagement, UMS, Associate Professor Dr. Wardatul Akmam Din, “Preparing global citizens has become more important than ever in an increasingly interconnected world; however, as lauded in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, it is important to balance the development of global citizenship with a strong national identity.” The curriculum in Universiti Malaysia Sabah strives to achieve a balance in both.

KOTA KINABALU: A total of 97,635 applications for Phase 1 of "PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia” (Malaysian Family Student Device) package have been approved so far, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad.

She said out of that number, there were 21,633 applications in Sabah, of which 3,748 had been approved and in the process of handing over the devices to the successful applicants.

"Application for PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia Malaysian Family Apprenticeships was open since last April and screening began on Aug 29. Approval was given in stages and handing over of the devices to be done in three months.

"Therefore, I call on students of higher learning from B40 families who have not applied, to send their applications under Phase 2 which is still open until Sept 30, 2022," she told this to reporters after handing over the device to 100 students at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) here Tuesday (Sept 13).

Noraini said the PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia initiative played an important role in the government's efforts to support efforts to empower the Education Digitisation agenda.

"The handing over of the PerantiSiswa is a commitment by the Keluarga Malaysia government to ensure students do not fall behind, especially those from the B40 group and also in an effort to form the Malaysian Family digital community and bridge the digital gap between all groups in the country,” she said.

KOTA KINABALU: The Higher Learning Ministry has approved an allocation of RM3,000,000 for Universiti Malaysia Sabah Hospital’s (HUMS) mobile clinic.

UMS Board of Directors chairman Datuk Seri Panglima Abdul Rahman Dahlan in expressing his gratitude to the ministry and especially to Higher Learning Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad, said that the allocation will be used to purchase six vehicles that would be used as mobile clinics.

Speaking at the launch of one of the mobile clinics costing RM468,000 on Friday at HUMS, Abdul Rahman said that the other vehicles are in the process of acquisition and they comprise an ambulance, two vans, a double cab four-wheel drive and a coaster bus.

“This is in line with the Higher Learning Ministry’s approach of bringing health service to the rural communities in Malaysia, and especially in Sabah through the KPT Prihatin programme, Komuniti Sejahtera, which is also known as KRIS programme,” he said.

Abdul Rahman explained the programme has been introduced and was implemented through teaching hospitals since 2020.

“This is proof of the government agency’s commitment to give health services directly to the people,” he said.

He also said that through the KRIS programme, HUMS has prepared health services such as medical and dental treatments, health promotions, health screening and medicine consultation for the rural communities in Sabah that are living far from government health facilities such as health clinics and hospitals.

He added that since 31st July 2021, HUMS had already implemented 12 programmes involving the rural areas in Sabah such as Tuaran, Kiulu, Kudat, Pitas, Kota Marudu, Labuan, Tawau and Keningau.

“HUMS will continue to render health services through the KRIS programme at every district in Sabah until the end of 2022,” he said.

Abdul Rahman also said that with the mobile clinic, HUMS would be able to offer comfortable and quality health services to the rural communities in Sabah.

He also expressed his gratitude to the management of Universiti Malaysia Sabah and HUMS for their effort to improve the quality of health services to the people of Sabah through the HUMS Mobile Clinic.

KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) is working with two other partners on a project to bring recreational fishing to a more wholesome and exciting level, while also contributing to science and sustainable development.

UMS and its partners, Sabah-based start-up company ReeFish and World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia), launched the project based on the "build back better" concept at the UMS jetty here on Thursday (Sept 8).

The importance of science for sustainable blue foods – a collective term for aquatic foods such as fish, shellfish and seaweed – has been catapulted into focus following the economic uncertainties in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thus, a blue economy will help Sabah meet its sustainable development goals, particularly in fisheries (fish and seafood production) and marine tourism.

Dr Mabel Manjaji Matsumoto, the project's lead researcher, said their focus will be on marine anglers.

"The research will take on multiple approaches in our profiling of recreational fishery, from appraising the status of recreational fishing in Sabah to addressing the issue of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing contributed by angling activities," she said in a statement.

"One approach is through engaging citizen scientists for their input," added Matsumoto, who is also an associate professor at the Borneo Marine Research Institute, UMS.

WWF-Malaysia conservation head in Sabah Dr Robecca Jumin said globally, the potential to expand and benefit from recreational fishing was plentiful as it stimulates a nation's economic development in more than one way.

"In this collaboration, we want to explore responsible recreational fishing as a potential Covid-19 blue recovery livelihood for local stakeholders.

"We would like to develop sustainable opportunities in recreational fishing based on the build back better concept.

"This concept is part of disaster management and importantly, promotes nature-based solutions to conserve biodiversity and restore ecosystem services," she said.

ReeFish founder Datuk Darrel Webber elaborated that the project's website is created to promote responsible angling and to create an avenue for the anglers to record their memorable experience by uploading footage, which at the same time, contribute to citizen science efforts.

The footage will be collated as information and passed on to UMS fisheries scientists to be analysed, he added.

Sabah enjoyed a tremendous boom in the tourism sector prior to the pandemic, he said.

ReeFish is a locally owned start-up which aims to provide access to anglers who want to lend a hand to science and at the same time contribute towards the sustainability of this popular recreational activity.

The research collaboration is supported by funds channelled by WWF-Malaysia, a forefront civil society organisation (CSO).

Borneo Marine Research Institute director Dr Sitti Raehanah Muhamad Shaleh applauded the research project, saying it was commendable especially at a time when there is worldwide concern on marine conservation and that the government was striving to ensure seafood sustainability.

"I also understand that this project will provide an opportunity for the researchers to study shark conservation as sharks are one of the large fishes targeted by some anglers.

"By the end of the year-long project, the team aims to develop a prototype business model incorporating the idea of responsible angling," said Sitti Raehanah.