SHAH ALAM – Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim mencadangkan 10 peratus daripada jumlah semasa kuota pelajar di Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) dibuka kepada pelajar bukan Bumiputera dan pelajar asing bagi meningkatkan kualiti pendidikan dan persaingan di kalangan pelajar. Katanya, tindakan tersebut wajar dan bertepatan dengan usaha UiTM yang mahu melahirkan pelajar dari golongan Melayu dan Bumiputera yang berdaya saing serta kompeten dengan arus semasa. “UiTM perlu bersikap global dalam usaha untuk menentukan siswazahnya lebih mesra (serasi) dengan masyarakat yang berbilang kaum dan bangsa. “Malah, ia diyakini dapat menjadikan graduan UiTM lebih mahir dan berupaya untuk berhadapan dengan persaingan dari kaum bukan Bumiputera," katanya selepas menyertai ‘Fun Walk’ anjuran Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA) dan Adidas di sini semalam. Beliau berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas kenyataan Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Tetap Pendidikan, Pengajian Tinggi dan Pembangunan Modal Insan, Dr Halimah Ali mengenai keperluan UiTM dibuka kepada semua kaum bagi mewujudkan persaingan yang sihat seperti yang dilaporkan Sinar Harian. Khalid yang menyokong kenyataan Dr Halimah berkata, tindakan untuk membuka kemasukan pelajar bukan Bumiputera ke dalam UiTM adalah langkah berpandangan jauh bagi menjadikan semua institusi pengajian tinggi (IPT) di Selangor lebih mesra kepada semua kaum tanpa mengira etnik mahupun agama yang dianuti. “Saya rasa itu bukan persoalan yang penting kerana UiTM telah diwujudkan sebagai satu institusi yang cuba mempertingkatkan penglibatan orang Melayu dan masyarakat Bumiputera dalam pengajian tinggi. Usaha ini kita rasakan perlu diteruskan, cuma dengan cara yang lebih global dan terbuka,” katanya.
The heat of UIA 24th convocation ceremony is coming. From the discussion in Yahoo group I have come to know that they have released the website on this year’s convo. Okay, this time quite a helpful website. Unfortunately our faculty’s session will be on 2nd day, which means we’re not receiving scroll from the Sultan of Pahang a.k.a the Chancellor of UIA. At least someone said so. As for me, I don’t really mind if I’m not receiving my scroll from the Sultan. I wish I could be receiving my scroll from a very honorable, smart, cool person, be it a Sultan or not. Maybe Sultan of Perak is cool enough to make me proud of receiving a scroll from his highness, but he’s the Chancellor of UM, not UIA unfortunately. By the way my aunty received her scroll from Anwar Ibrahim when he was the President of UIA and Deputy PM of Malaysia. Wasn’t it cool? But this very honorable, smart, cool person is now a “refugee” in Turkish embassy thanks to this country’s shit politics. Politics that keep playing with dirty and inhumane conspiracy which makes me think twice to call myself a proud Malaysian. It’s more to be ashamed, actually. Okay, I’m getting off topic already, and I am not too smart talking about nation politics and all the craps, so let’s get back to UIA convocation.
Sooooooooo.. we’ll be the first batch of UIA graduates to be wearing this old skool mortar board! Okay, there’s pro and there’s cons to switch from Songkok to mortar board, I understand. Good thing is, mortar board makes you really look like a graduate than a Songkok does, and all graduates in all countries in this planet wear mortar board on the convocation day. But not (yet) in UIA, as Songkok is our identity since the birth of the university. So if UIA is adopting mortar board then there’s no more UIA identity and we’re no different than UM, UKM, UiTM, etc.. Hmm. Then again what’s so cool to be different?
Sooooooooo.. we’ll be the first batch of UIA graduates to be wearing this old skool mortar board! Okay, there’s pro and there’s cons to switch from Songkok to mortar board, I understand. Good thing is, mortar board makes you really look like a graduate than a Songkok does, and all graduates in all countries in this planet wear mortar board on the convocation day. But not (yet) in UIA, as Songkok is our identity since the birth of the university. So if UIA is adopting mortar board then there’s no more UIA identity and we’re no different than UM, UKM, UiTM, etc.. Hmm. Then again what’s so cool to be different?
