Towards a sustainable future
AS a higher learning institution founded by the bedrock principle of “by the people, for the people”, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) is more than committed to nurturing students to become successful individuals with a heart for the community via its holistic and quality education.
Over the years, UTAR has maintained its affordable fees as part of its continuous effort to provide accessible education to all. This has proven successful with the current number of alumni, which stands at over 61,600.
UTAR is also ranked 100-200 in the overall Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings 2019 following the university’s performance and achievements in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The THE University Impact Rankings 2019 recognises universities across the world for their social and economic impact according to the 17 SDGs outlined by the United Nations.
Goal 4: Quality Education
The emphasis of Goal 4: Quality Education is found in UTAR’s vision of becoming a global university of educational excellence with transformative societal impact. It is the university’s belief that education is not limited to providing knowledge to learners, but also transforming their lives through the knowledge and experiences gained.
Experiences resulting from students’ participation in impactful activities are particularly rewarding as they not only evoke students’ empathy, but are equally beneficial to the society and environment.
Such essence of quality education is found in the UTAR New Village Community Project organised by the Department of Soft Skills Competency (DSSC). As an approach to gather insightful information about the New Villages, the project was also initiated by UTAR as a way for students to contribute to the community.
The project currently consists of five sub-programmes: New Village Tour, New Village Survey, New Village Community Service
(We Care, We Act), New Village Collaborative Project and New Village E-commerce Project.
Many, particularly students, perceived these New Villages as places consisting only of older folks, but these places hold many hidden secrets worth revealing.
Through the project, students learn in immersive ways about the New Villages and their residents.
They rediscover forgotten histories and explore unknown cultures and practices while learning to have a serviceable heart.
It is the increasing empathy cultivated from their participation that gives them the opportunity to understand human interaction and communal relationships.
The skills they acquire are not limited to communication as they also learn creativity, problemsolving, entrepreneurship and analytical skills. Quality education is therefore not limited to classroom settings, and students learn the importance of taking part in extra-curricular activities.
Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and Goal 1: No Poverty
The same project offers the communities involved sustainable life lessons that enhance their lives and improve the local economy. Apart from fun-filled educational activities such as the English Tuition and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics workshop organised for children, the skills and knowledge shared by UTAR students with the communities help the New Villages thrive.
For instance, educating the local residents on e-commerce and ways to leverage online business not only exposes their villages to the world, but also their local products. Understanding the unique and convenient features of the online platform enables local business operators to increase product marketability and profit.
These profits drive the local economy, which in turn drive the funds needed for the village to build sustainable infrastructures. The building of sustainable infrastructures achieves Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, which aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
In this aspect, a sustainable village is also viewed as a viable solution to end poverty, which is emphasised by Goal 1: No Poverty.
UTAR’s Open Day will be held on Dec 21 and 22 at its Sungai Long campus in Bandar Sungai Long and its Kampar campus in Perak. Both campuses have extended counselling hours daily from 9am to 5pm (except for public holidays).