BINTULU (March 25): Konsortium Universiti Universitas Borneo (KUUB), led by Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Campus (UPMKB), officially signed a joint declaration with the Consortium of Eastern Indonesia State Universities (CEISU).

The event took place on March 2 at Hasanuddin University in Makassar, Indonesia.

UPMKB campus director Prof Dr Shahrulrazid Sarbini, who is the founding chairman of KUUB, joined the signing ceremony with KUUB honorary secretary Dr Jee Teck Weng and KUUB honorary secretary Fakhzan Buang.

Shahrulrazid said the collaboration signifies the key role of UPMKB, the Sarawak Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD) and KUUB members in improving higher education in the Borneo-East Indonesia region, while also aiming to position Borneo as one of the world’s leading higher education hubs.

“With the cooperation of the government, ministries, universities and industry, it is not impossible for our region to advance in various fields,” he said.

This cooperation proposal was made by Lambung Mangkurat University rector Prof Dr Ahmad Alim Bachri during the KUUB memorandum of understanding (MoU) exchange ceremony and KUUB International Convention (KUUB) 2023 on Nov 8 last year in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Ahmad, who is also CEISU chairman, said the collaboration between the two consortiums would enhance cooperation among all universities in Borneo and Eastern Indonesia, which have rich cultural and scenic values.

Meanwhile, the workshop on the Institute of Research and Community Service of Indonesia was held on March 3 at the Unhas Hotel & Convention, Tamalanrea, Makassar.

The event was attended by 400 delegates from 50 universities and polytechnics in Borneo and Eastern Indonesia.

According to Fakhzan, the cooperation plans between the two consortiums have been well planned in terms of agreement documents, joint discussions and identification of cooperation potentials in various aspects.

“During the establishment of KUUB in 2022, the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Sarawak provided significant assistance and strong support to UPMKB in the design of KUUB activities.

“The establishment of KUUB involved 16 public and state universities in Borneo, including Brunei, Indonesia, Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.

This historic event, witnessed by a number of university rectors from institutions in the Eastern Indonesia region, also marks an important step in promoting collaboration and innovative efforts within the academic community in the Borneo and Eastern Indonesia regions.

The KUUB delegation was also accompanied by several key representatives from institutions and agencies, including Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) vice chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Md Mansur, MEITD deputy permanent secretary Anielia Siam, and MEITD head of education division Donald Henry Nohed.

Date of Input: 03/04/2024 | Updated: 03/04/2024 | lanz