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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- The Sultan of Pahang, Sultan Ahmad Shah, wants the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) to gear itself towards becoming the top research university in the country.
The Sultan, who is also IIUM Constitutional Head, said this could be achieved through instilling quality of research and development, and creativity and innovation among its lecturers and students.
He said IIUM needed to render the dynamic flow of minds escalating the acquisition of knowledge towards a higher level of excellence.
"The transformation initiated by the present Malaysian Government is indeed, in line with the dynamic changing global landscape, and IIUM must be in the forefront of the race or suffer the consequences of being irrelevant," he said.
Sultan Ahmad Shah said this in his speech at the officiation of the 27th IIUM convocation at the university's main campus in Gombak here Saturday.
His speech was read by IIUM president Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, who is also Chief Secretary to the Government. A total of 3,691 undergraduates and 971 postgraduate students will receive their scrolls in the three-day event.
Sultan Ahmad Shah said, apart from aiming to be a top research university, IIUM must establish its own niche domain and reclaim its position as the epicentre of Syariah compliance, financial and banking sectors, the hub of Halal industry and all the associated ancillary services which is the burgeonung market of the future.
He said, in order to achieve the targets, a comprehensive strategic plan of the relevent human capital in the dynamic area was urgently needed, or else other higher learning institutions or intellectual sites might emerge quickly to replace IIUM.
"We will remain relevant as our tenets are always anchored to faith, knowledge and good character. This holistic educational landscape would be the saviour of the moderate Ummah and the world at large," he added.
On the alternative social media network, Sultan Ahmad Shah said it had liberated the young minds from orthodoxies and consequently, a new multi-dimensional and creative approach to knowledge management must be formulated.
"Not withstanding the new paradigm, we must never forget our roots, our historical past that defines the present and more importantly, the future.
"The journey ahead into the 'university of life' is arduous but with the imbued holistic values of life, long learning and embedded Islamic value system instilled amoung us, God-willing, we will succeed," he added.
Source: BERNAMA
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