by Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, March 29: Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation And Talent Development, Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee said that the Sarawak government lauded and supported the creation of Konsortium Universiti Universitas Borneo (KUUB) by 16 universities across the Borneo region.
He said KUUB’s formation would further solidify and raise the standard of education across the Borneo region.
“The consortium will position the three nations–Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei–as the foremost destination for higher education in South East Asia while empowering the universities in the Borneo region to excel in the field of education and international research.
“I believe that the creation of KUUB will foster collaborations, build connections, and promote universal understanding, which includes the feature of oneness and integration to accomplish the same objectives.
“We hope that KUUB can contribute to the advancement of education research in many fields, development of students and staff, sustainability of human resources and economy, strengthening of good diplomacy and collaboration by various government and non-government agencies, international industries and the application of the university concept to communities both globally and locally,” he added.
Dr Annuar said this when officiating at the closing of the inaugural KUUB workshop held at The Waterfront Hotel here today.
The consortium, initiated by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), aims to create a platform for an education hub in the Borneo region.
Dr Annuar was representing Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn at the event.
Dr Annuar also said that his ministry expects all the universities involved to benefit from the consortium and to work together to support each other so as to strive for continuous improvement in the quality of education in the three nations and elevate the standard of higher education in Borneo.
“I urged all universities to continue developing their cooperation and consensus for continuous excellence,” he said.
Dr Annuar said that KUUB is also seen as a platform for collaboration among the three nations, enhances cultural diversity, arts, customs and among the various ethnicities as well as fosters regional integration in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
“In addition to international recognition, the cooperation of the universities in the Borneo region is expected to increase the global ranking and index in education, research as well as sustainable human development while opening opportunities for collaboration, networking and connecting on a global level beyond the Borneo region.
“Besides that, the effort to cultivate unity and integration among the three nations in the Borneo region while strengthening diplomatic cooperation through the development of higher education, the establishment of this consortium can showcase the role of the three nations in producing competent human resources in various fields of expertise at the international level,” he said.
The fifteen universities involved are Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali, Universiti Teknologi Brunei, Universitas Borneo Tarakan, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, Universitas Mulawarman, Universitas Palangka Raya, Universitas Tanjungputra, UPM Bintulu Campus, Curtin University Malaysia, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Universiti Technologi Mara Cawangan Sabah, Universiti Technology Sarawak, and University of Technology Sarawak.
Among those present were UPM vice-chancellor Dato’ Professor Dr Mohd Roslan Sulaiman and Ministry of Education, Innovation And Talent Development permanent secretary Azmi Bujang. — DayakDaily
