KUCHING: In a remarkable feat, Kuching-born Syed Nizamuddin Khassim has left an indelible mark on the hallowed halls of the University of Oxford.
The local lad, a recipient of the highly competitive Yayasan Khazanah-Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies (OXCIS) Scholarship, successfully completed the rigorous coursework component of his Master of Studies in Diplomatic Studies.
At Oxford, where academic excellence is held to the highest standards, a merit is defined at 65 per cent and a distinction, the rarest accolade, is granted at 70 per cent.
A distinction is also considered the highest honours a postgraduate candidate can achieve in the British system.
Said Dr. Yolanda Kemp Spies, director of the Diplomatic Studies Programme: “A distinction is the highest category of achievement, and very rarely obtained by any of our students.”
Syed Nizamuddin’s exceptional performance saw him clinch not one, but two distinctions, placing him as “one of the top-two performers” of his cohort of 21 students.
While the final results are pending, with the cumulative assessments set to be certified by the Diplomatic Studies Programme’s Board of Examiners this November, Syed Nizamuddin’s remarkable achievement has already garnered well-deserved praise.
Added Dr. Spies: “You can be rightfully proud of this excellent candidate, who distinguished himself in all respects, during his sojourn at Oxford.”
Syed Nizamuddin undertook the formidable task of completing a dissertation, titled ‘Subnational Diplomacy in Malaysia: the case of Sarawak’, which he submitted ahead of its due date in September this year.
The study focuses on the causality of Sarawak’s international engagements with the rise of its subnational identity, and has been accepted for presentation at the Association of Southeast Asian Studies (ASEAS) 2023 Conference which will be held at Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta from November 27 to 30.
According to Syed Nizamuddin, the research is the first in-depth look into the intersectionality of Malaysia’s subnational identity and diplomacy, particularly on Sarawak.
This would be his second master’s degree after finishing his Masters in Public Administration (MPA) at the University of Malaya in 2018.
Serving as Malaysia’s diplomat, he was the First Secretary at the Embassy of Malaysia in Paris between 2018 and 2022 before taking a sabbatical to pursue his studies at Oxford.
