UTM to be given full autonomy

The alumni of a long-established university can play a big part in contributing to an endowment fund for use in scholarship programmes, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said yesterday.

   He added that alumni members could contribute not only money, but also share their knowledge in the provision of  internship programmes to  undergraduates.

 

Citing a case, Khaled said if each of the 140,000 alumni members of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) were to give RM10, the collection would come to RM1.4 million.

 

  Khaled said this after attending the presentation of endowment scholarship certificates and offer letters to participants in the "Five Excellent Tracks" programme at UTM here.

 

  The first batch, comprising 52 undergraduates of the academic session 2011/2012, received the scholarship certificates and the offer letters.

 

  The "Five Excellent Tracks" programme  helps students to excel in at least one of these fields: leadership,  studies, entrepreneurship, sports and Quranic teachings. 

 

  A total of RM2.5 million in scholarship had been set aside for high achievers at the university this year.

 

  The fund, which was introduced last year, has  grown to RM31.9 million, surpassing its target of RM20 million with contributions from the university's alumni, staff, student associations, companies and the public.

 

  Khaled also announced that UTM was one of the universities in the country to be given full autonomy starting this year. 

 

  This will enable the university to enjoy complete governance in institutional, academic, financial and human resource management matters.

 

  Khaled said he would give the names of the other universities to be accorded similar status after the Chinese New Year.

 

  Khaled said it was the vision of UTM to enable every undergraduate to study for free by the year 2020. 

 

  The success of the endowment fund system will attract quality graduates to UTM, motivate students to achieve excellence as well as reduce the burden of the government to maintain the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) undergraduate loan system.

 

  The government has spent RM40 billion under the PTPTN, and RM4 billion is needed each year to sustain the programme.

 

  UTM vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Zaini Ujang said 150 undergraduates who excelled in their studies would receive assistance from the university's endowment fund this year.   

 

Each of them will receive RM12,000 a year.

 

  "The students will continue to receive the financial assistance if they maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 each semester."