KUCHING: A consortium of 15 public universities in Borneo, led by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Bintulu campus, gathered for the first time for the inaugural event of the Borneo University Consortium (KUUB).
The three-day event was supported by the Ministry of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development (MEITD) with the aim of improving the standard of education and fostering regional integration among Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
Its minister Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn said the creation of KUUB will raise awareness about the diversity of cultures, arts, traditions, and ethnicities among the three countries.
“Looking ahead, we hope that there will be projects or programmes designed after this consortium, either in 2023 or 2024.
“The ministry is fully committed to supporting and assisting KUUB, and we expect all participating universities and ministries to sign the memorandum of understanding (MoU) and memorandum of agreement (MoA) to strengthen the establishment of KUUB.
“This effort is in line with the aspirations of the Sarawak government and the country to make this region a leading and excellent destination for higher education at the international level,” he was quoted as saying by the Sarawak Public Communication Unit (UKAS).
Sagah’s speech was delivered by his deputy Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee at the closing ceremony of the inaugural workshop and KUBB Ramadan breaking of fast event here yesterday (March 29).
Annuar also presented souvenirs as a token of appreciation to each participating university, including UPM Bintulu Campus, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sarawak, UiTM Sabah, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Curtin University Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Sarawak (UTS) and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
The foreign universities are Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali and Universiti Teknologi Brunei, Universitas Borneo Tarakan, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, Universitas Mulawarman and Universitas Tanjungpura.
Also present were Universiti Putra Malaysia vice chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Mohd Roslan Sulaiman, MEITD permanent secretary Azmi Bujang, Universiti Putra Malaysia deputy vice chancellor (Academic and International) Professor Dr Ismi Arif Ismail, Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu campus director Professor Dr Shahrul Razid Sarbini.
The event ended with those present breaking their fast together.
