Empower, uplift education quality of UiTM students among agenda at KEB 2024 — Mustapha

PUTRAJAYA: The agenda to empower and uplift the quality of education of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) students is among the matters that the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) will bring to the Bumiputera Economic Congress (KEB) 2024, scheduled to take place from Feb 29 to March 2.

Speaking to Bernama, Deputy Minister of Higher Education Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said that as an institution of higher education dedicated to Bumiputeras, the quality of education and the production of graduates need to be continually improved to ensure that the graduates meet market demands.

“UiTM needs to be strengthened because we want to ensure that the quality of education among the Bumiputeras can be further improved.

“This is what we will emphasise and strengthen. So, we will bring this UiTM agenda to KEB,” he said in a recent interview.

Established in 1956, UiTM is a public higher education institution that exclusively admits Bumiputera students, particularly from rural areas and the B40 households.

Until now, UiTM has produced over a million graduates, covering approximately 515 study programmes across 34 campuses nationwide.

In line with the inclusive nature of the KEB 2024 event, Mustapha said that MOHE is also taking the opportunity to present UiTM’s agenda to enhance the institution’s competence on a global level and boost the employability of UiTM graduates.

“UiTM is at the heart of efforts to make the country a developed nation. We need to nurture local talents that are genuinely needed by the country. Therefore, this aspiration needs to be emphasised and strengthened to ensure that UiTM can provide access to quality education and ensure its sustainability,” he said.

On the KEB 2024, Mustapha described the congress as more comprehensive, involving not only the participation of the Malays and Bumiputeras but also the Chinese and Indian communities, as well as representatives from Malay, Kadazan, Dusun, Iban, and Dayak business councils, as well as representatives from the Orang Asli community.

He said that the approach brought by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim aims to ensure that the congress, which targets the participation of over 3,000 participants, is not solely focused on discussions about the issues faced by the Bumiputeras.

“For example, if we talk about the issue of poverty, it is not only an issue among the Bumiputeras, as other communities are facing the same problems. So, this is what the Prime Minister (Anwar) is trying to highlight so that we can provide a new perspective in addressing the issue of poverty in the country,” he said.

Sharing his hopes for KEB 2024, Mustapha emphasised that all parties need to support the congress, which is being held for the first time since June 7, 1965.