In a significant move to bolster pension saving awareness among young working adults in East Malaysia, University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has signed a Research Collaboration Agreement with Private Pension Administrator Malaysia (PPA).

The signing ceremonial took place at UMS recently.

The Research Collaboration Agreement was signed by UMS Vice Chancellor, Prof. Datuk Dr. Kasim Hj. Mansor, and PPA Chief Executive Officer, Husaini Hussin, in the presence of witnesses Luqman Ridha Anwar, UMS Registrar, and PPA Marketing Manager, Wong Mew Sum.

The partnership will see both institutions embark on a one-year research project titled "Enhancing Pension Saving Awareness and Intention Among Young Working Adults in East Malaysia”.

The research aims to assess current levels of pension saving awareness, identify influencing factors, and develop strategies to improve pension saving intentions.

East Malaysia's unique demographic and economic landscape provides an intriguing framework for this study, which is critical in ensuring financial security for the community in their later years.

Earlier, Kasim in his speech said, the collaboration marks a milestone in UMS ongoing efforts to contribute to society through research that addresses real-world issues.

“Today, we are focusing on the need to plan for one of the most important periods of our lives: retirement, and the necessity to plan for it through adequate pension provision.

“The task we have to perform is important, because our younger generations will be the backbone of tomorrow's economy, but many of them start their careers without knowing how to save for retirement,” he said.

Meanwhile, Husaini in his speech congratulate UMS for the commitment in uncovering insights to increase awareness and to empower the young working adults to be better prepared financially to secure their future.

Also present Deputy Vice Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni) Assoc Prof. Dr. Raman Noordin; UMS Chief Librarian, Md. Sazali Md. Salleh; and the Dean of Faculty of Computing and Informatics, Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Mohd Hanafi Ahmad Hijazi.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) together with Department of Higher Learning (JPT) Ministry of Higher Education (KPT), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and Malaysian Council for Public higher Learning Institutions (MEIPTA) successfully organized Malaysian Inclusive Open Educational Resources (iOER) Virtual Showcase 2023 recently. 

The event is a follow up to the National iOER Policy launched in December 2021, brought together distinguished guests, educators, and international representatives, underscored UMS leadership in promoting accessible education for all.

The Vice Chancellor UMS, Professor Datuk Dr. Kasim Haji Mansor said UMS is honoured to be one of the key parties involved in the project called ‘Design and Development of iOER’.

“This project is conducted fully online in three phases over a period of six months. The activities were made possible with the generous financial support of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, USA.

“UMS is committed to implement the Malaysian National iOER Policy and Action Plans as outlined in the UNESCO OER Recommendation 2019. This project focuses on Action Plan No.3 namely, to support the creation, access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution of inclusive and equitable quality OER for all stakeholders,” he said.

The showcase was officiated by the Director of JPT, Professor Dr. Azlinda Azman, involving 80 academicians from 20 Malaysian public universities.

Furthermore, Kasim said UMS is also responsible in establishing the website ioercop.ums.edu.my to archive all activities and deliverables from this project under creative Commons licenses and can be accessed globally.

He also informed that the iOER project was initiated by Director for eLearning UMS, Professor Dr. Fong Soon Fook who is also the UNESCO iOER Consultant and his dedicated team.

“We congratulate KPT on the showcase of the project “Design and Development of iOER” which will be transform the lives and abilities of everyone and the differently-abled individuals in Malaysia by giving them access to educational resources that are vital to their inclusion in society and their contribution to the greater good of humanity.

“Our shared goal is to contribute to the realization of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, ensuring quality education for all.

“As we celebrate this iOER Showcase, allow me to express our commitment to providing the fullest support and cooperation to the Ministry of Higher Education as we collectively embark on the next steps forward in advancing iOER,” he added.

UMS also express gratitude and appreciations to the Director of the Regional UNESCO Office in Bangkok, Soohyun Kim; Chief Advisor UNESCO Bangkok, Joe Hironaka; UNESCO Consultant Trainer, Professor Dianne Chambers; Creative Commons USA, Dr. Cable Green; UDL Implementation Specialist Centre for Applied Special tecnology (CAST), Bill Wilmot and Google Malaysia.

Earlier in speech, Soohyun applauded UMS’s dual focus on championing the open education movement and advancing accessibility for persons with disabilities.

She commended UMS leadership in this global project by showcasing how the OER policy has been practically applied through capacity-building workshops supported by UNESCO.

“This OER showcase demonstrated how a national policy has been practically applied to create innovative and inclusive OER learning materials in Malaysia,” she said.

She also highlighted the exponential growth of open-licensing and UNESCO’s adaptation of the UNESCO OER recommendation, emphasizing the role of inclusive education for persons with disabilities and open licensing in achieving SDG-4.

The management of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) remains open to suggestions and feedback from the Student Representative Council (MPP) and Residential College Welfare Committees (JAKMAS), particularly on matters related to student welfare.

UMS Vice-Chancellor, Professor Datuk Dr. Kasim Hj. Mansor, emphasized that MPP and JAKMAS are pivotal entities driving student welfare initiatives within the university.

“These entities also serve as platforms for students to enhance their leadership skills through interactions with various stakeholders and the organization of student programs. This provides opportunities for other students to actively participate and contribute to the university, even if they are not in leadership roles,” he explained.

Dr. Kasim reminded student leaders that leadership is about responsibility and trust, not just privileges.

“Student leaders must ensure that every idea shared is conveyed wisely. They should be professional, mature, and constructive when expressing opinions on issues, aiming to benefit the student body as a whole.

“All proposed ideas should be thoughtful, realistic, and dynamic, stemming from thorough observations and analyses. Most importantly, actions taken must reflect intellectual integrity befitting university students and leaders,” he said.

He also highlighted the collective responsibility of all parties to uphold the university's reputation and image, ensuring a harmonious and conducive campus environment for learning.

Dr. Kasim expressed these sentiments during the Appointment Ceremony for the MPP and JAKMAS for the 2023/2024 session, held recently at the UMS Gallery.

The ceremony included an oath-taking and pledge of commitment led by MPP President Roslan Abdullah, followed by the presentation of appointment letters to the MPP and JAKMAS committee members.

Also in attendance were Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni), Associate Professor Dr. Raman Noordin; UMS Treasurer, Badrul Hisham Ismail; UMS Legal Advisor, Awang Suhaizam Bongsu; and Head of the Student Affairs Department, Mohd Raffie Janau.

Painting can be a way to strengthen the relationship between Malaysia and Brunei, said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Datuk Dr Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif.

Arifin said the art field could be a link between the two countries.

“Today we are with painters from Brunei Darussalam and I congratulate Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) for successfully establishing good relations in the field of painting with various countries including Brunei.

“We can witness various works produced by prominent painters from Brunei that depict cultural values, thoughts, history and values that are sprinkled in the Gurisan Subarang Exhibition.

“I hope such programme can continue and become a vehicle for establishing relations between Malaysia and Brunei, especially the state of Sabah which is together in the Borneo Islands in the field of arts.

“We also hope that such programme will be held not only in the field of painting but also in Islamic calligraphy and other arts,” said Arifin when met by the media after officiating at the Soft Launch Ceremony of the Gurisan Subarang Exhibition in UMS.

A total of 83 works involving 15 famous painters from Brunei Darussalam participated in the Gurisan Subarang Exhibition from Jan 15 to March 8 at the Kaamatan and Kalimaran Exhibition Rooms, UMS Azman Hashim Gallery.