UPM SARAWAK BINTULU CAMPUS – In this era of globalisation, money is a very important in everyone's life. While it true that money is not everything in life, it would not be too far off to say that everyone needs money to live. In relation with that, it is important for everyone to manage their finances very well. There have been numerous studies conducted by various parties and on average, there are still many Malaysians who are not very savvy in financial management and some of the younger generation have even become bankrupt.

Looking at this scenario, the Department of Higher Education (JPT), Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) developed a programme called the Financial Strengthening Programme, Money Savvy Students (SCeW) which was organised in collaboration with selected universities. To ensure that this programme benefits students throughout the country, the programme has been divided into 4 zones, namely the Northern Zone, the Southern Zone, the Eastern Zone and the Borneo Zone.

The SCeW 3.0 in the Borneo Zone (Sabah, Sarawak & Labuan) was organised by the Department of Higher Education (JPT), Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in collaboration with Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Sarawak Campus (UPMKB). This time it was implemented in a slightly differently way compared to SCeW 2.0 which was implemented previously.

"We are very fortunate to have been chosen to be the organizer of SCeW 3.0 in the Borneo Zone for the second time. While we implemented a face-to-face programme previously in 2018,  this time we decided to use online platforms through the Webex and Live Facebook applications to comply with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) as outlined by the National Security Council (MKN)" said YBhg. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Shahrul Razid Bin Sarbini, Campus Director, UPMKB during the opening of the programme.

"Among the main objectives of SCeW 3.0 is to strengthen the students' knowledge on the aspects of financial management, credit management, financing activities etc. Besides that, the programme also provides a platform for students to interact with financial experts so that prudent financial management may become a way of life through the sharing sessions and talks" he added.

The programme which was conducted on 21 November 2020 managed to attract nearly 800 participants not only from the Borneo Zone but also students from Peninsular Malaysia and overseas (International Students = 20; Peninsular Malaysia = 124 people; Sarawak = 465 people; Sabah & Labuan = 175 people).

There were a  total of 3 slots in this this programme which were presented by great speakers and specialists in their respective fields –Slot 1: Control Your Money or It Will Control You presented by Assoc. Prof Dr. Suraya Hanim Mokhtar of the School of Business and Social Sciences, AlBukhary International University, Slot 2: Undergraduates of BMW – Wisely Managing Money delivered by Prof. Dr. Mohammad Fazli Sabri of the Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Slot 3: Adopting The Rainbow delivered by Pn. Noor Azira Ezurien AJ

The programme was able to achieve its objectives and thus had a positive impact on the students. Such programmes should be implemented continuously to ensure that Malaysians are prudent in managing their finances.

Date of Input: 03/12/2020 | Updated: 21/12/2020 | lanz