KUCHING: It was a proud moment for 674 students of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sarawak at Kota Samarahan near here when they received their scrolls on the first day of the university’s 90th convocation today.
On the second day of the convocation today, 657 students will receive their scrolls in the morning and afternoon sessions.
Of the total 1,331 graduates, 453 will receive their Bachelor’s Degrees while 878 will receive their Diplomas in various courses.
The convocation today also saw the presentation of the Vice-Chancellor Award (ANC) to 42 students for maintaining a Grade Point Average (GPA) and Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.50 and above in every semester.
UiTM Pro Chancellor Tan Sri Datuk Sri Zarinah Anwar said UiTM has contributed significantly to the country’s socio-economic development since its inception in 1956 as Dewan Latihan Rida and in 1967 became an institute which had produced many Bumiputera professionals.
“To date, UiTM has successfully produced 800,000 graduates, which is a remarkable achievement,” she said in her speech during the morning session of the convocation at UiTM’s Dewan Jubli, today.
She added that as a university, UiTM has been constantly taking various approaches to produce highly skilled graduates who are able to meet the needs of today’s job markets.
“These efforts can be seen as UiTM is currently ranked 137th in the QS Asia University Ranking 2019 compared to 158th last year.
“This achievement is in line with QS Graduate Employability Ranking 2019, where UiTM ranks the fourth in Malaysia and putting UiTM among the best universities in Asia,” she said.
Zarinah also revealed that the Bachelor of Park Management programme under the Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Survey had received international recognition from the World Park Academy.
“This faculty has also been recognised as the most comprehensive architectural centre in Malaysia and has been listed in QS World University Rankings in 2018 as one of the best 200 universities in Architecture or Built Environment,” she pointed out.
She also said that for the Hotel and Tourism Management Faculty, it was successfully accredited from the Asia Pacific Institute For Events Management as the Centre of Excellence in event management.
“With this kind of international recognition, it proves a high level of academic excellence that will certainly improve the marketability of UiTM’s graduates,” she stressed.
Meanwhile, Zarinah told the students that the university was a stepping stone for them to learn, develop their talents and potentials and, at the same time, remain competitive in the field that they had chosen when they looked for jobs.
“Remember as you are chasing your dreams, you must also practise good values, have integrity, respect one another, and be a responsible person,” she reminded the graduates.
Also present was UiTM Sarawak rector, Professor Datuk Dr Jamil Hamali.
