Uni should give attention to Character Building

By Shahfizal Musa

BANGI, 7 August 2010 – UKM’s Chancellor said the university need to concentrate on character building of its students apart from providing them with the requisite education.

Speaking at the first session of the university’s 38^th convocation today, Tuanku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir, the Yang Dipertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan said  “UKM mission set at its inception is becoming more relevant in the context of society and current environment in facing the reality of the times.”

This was to ensure that UKM graduates will not only have the intellectual excellence but also good moral grounding so they can lead the world to a better future.

The first session today apart from conferring doctorates to 233 scholars from all its faculties also saw the conferment of awards to students from the Engineering Faculty in Micro Engineering and Nano Electronics.

The Chancellor said such a mission in character building of its students in the context of globalisation has placed UKM on the world stage with its own mould in human capital development thereby making UKM a symbol of scholarship and knowledge. UKM needed to uphold that challenge.

This is to enable it to stand side by side with World Class Universities but yet able to maintain its own values. UKM must be ready to take on the challenges of an increasingly global higher education scenario.

Tuanku Muhriz said “UKM has to be ready in facing the challenges of the 21^st century in every dimension. Particularly in handling the trend in global development of higher learning in a way that create an impact to National education for it to reach its goal to become a world class Research University in 2018. “

UKM, he said, has come a long way and have surpassed various milestones which exceeded its founders’  expectation and is geared to make its mark in the global scene as an Innovative Research University

Tuanku Muhriz  said “In four decades since its inception, I am pleased with its achievements in various fields. UKM is productive in undertaking research in a wide spectrum of disciplines. I believe that as a research university UKM will continue to initiate innovations that will benefit mankind”

Tunku Muhriz recognizing that most of the student would leave academia to venture into the employment world after graduating gave this advice: “Be a person who will continuously learn throughout your lifetime. Knowledge is something dynamic and keep on changing with time. Maybe what you learn today will no longer be relevant to face the challenges in the future, so have the determination to keep on learning.”

Also present at the Convocation Ceremony are the Tunku Ampuan, Tuanku Aishah Rohani bt Almarhum Tengku Besar Mahmud,  the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Tan Sri Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hassan Shahabuddin and senior university officials.