To enhance their ability to serve and communicate better with the growing Chinese community in the region, a group of staffs from Royal Malaysian Customs Department of Sabah had successfully completed their Chinese Language Course (HSK) level 1 at Confucius Institute Universiti Malaysia Sabah (CI@UMS).

Over the past three months, a selected group of custom staff personnel eagerly immersed themselves in learning the complexities of Mandarin at the Confucius Institute.

Ten personnel of the department pass all the requirements for the course and were receiving their certificates from CI@UMS recently in a brief ceremony which was held at the Sabah Custom building in Kota Kinabalu.

The Chinese language course, conducted by professional teacher Ming Hao from CI@UMS, encompassed a comprehensive curriculum, focusing on basic conversational fluency, cultural understanding, and specific terminology relevant to Custom procedures.

Participants actively engaged in language exercises, role-plays, and interactive discussions, enhancing their vocabulary, pronunciation, and comprehension skills.

Throughout the course, the staffs turned students showed remarkable dedication and perseverance, attending classes outside of their regular work hours.

Their commitment to mastery of Mandarin was commendable, demonstrating their genuine desire to improve communication channels and foster stronger ties with the local and overseas Chinese community.

This endeavor aimed at equipping the students with the necessary linguistic skills to better serve the needs and concerns of Chinese visitors, residents, and nationals seeking assistance from custom authorities.

The Director (Malaysia) of Confucius Institute UMS, Professor Ts. Dr. Chong Khim Phin expressed his admiration for the participants' unwavering commitment.

"It is heartening to witness the dedication and enthusiasm shown by these Custom members.

“Their decision to invest time and effort in learning the Chinese language demonstrates their sincerity in building stronger connections with the Chinese community and fostering a more inclusive society," he said.

Meanwhile the Deputy Director of Custom Department of Sabah, Edward Justin congratulated the participants on their achievement, emphasizing the importance of effective communication in the Custom sector.

"The completion of this Chinese language course equips our Custom staffs with invaluable skills that will enable them to provide improved services to our Chinese-speaking population, contributing to a more seamless and welcoming experience," he said.

The successful completion of the Chinese language course marks a significant milestone, not only for their staffs but also for the community at large. A multilingual workforce is crucial for addressing language barriers and ensuring efficient service delivery, particularly in a diverse and multicultural society.

CI@UMS will continue to offer HSK level 1 classes to the Custom Department and HSK level 2 to those who had pass the level 1.

The Institute is dedicated to provide language and cultural learning opportunities to individuals and organizations, facilitating cross-cultural understanding and cooperation.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) mengadakan lawatan kerja ke Bioneer Corporation, Korea Selatan, baru-baru ini bagi meneroka peluang kerjasama dalam aspek penyelidikan dan inovasi.

Delegasi UMS diketuai Pengarah Pusat Pengurusan Penyelidikan (PPP), Prof. Dr. Jumat Sulaiman bersama Dekan Fakulti Perniagaan, Ekonomi dan Perakaunan (FPEP), Prof. Madya Dr. Mohd Rahimie Abdul Karim.

Menurut Jumat, lawatan kerja tersebut membuka ruang dan peluang kepada UMS untuk meneroka teknologi Korea Selatan dalam proses penyelidikan, inovasi, pengajaran dan pembelajaran dalam bidang berkaitan di UMS.

“Delegasi UMS turut berpeluang melawat beberapa bahagian dalam Bioneer termasuklah unit rekaan, unit pembangunan system, unit pemasangan mesin dan teknologi serta unit programming.

“Kami juga diiringi seorang Pengurus Wilayah di Bioneer, Song-Hui Baek, untuk melawat koleksi inovasi, produk dan mesin berteknologi tinggi yang telah dihasilkan oleh Bioneer,” ujarnya dalam satu kenyataan di sini hari ini.

Pada kunjungan tersebut, delegasi UMS turut diberikan pengenalan berkaitan Bioneer oleh Pengurus Penjualan Antarabangsa, Matthew Kim.

Hadir sama, Pengarah Unit Keusahawanan FPEP, Prof. Madya Mat Salleh Ayub; Pengarah Pusat Pengajian Luar UMS, Dr. Lim Thien Sang; Timbalan Dekan Akademik dan Antarabangsa FPEP, Dr. Sharifah Milda Amirul; Pengarah Akreditasi Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) FPEP, Rosle Mohidin; Pengurus akreditasi AACSB, FPEP, Dr. Izaan Jamil; dan Ketua Pentadbiran FPEP, Jumiati Pajakai.

KOTA KINABALU: France Ambassador to Malaysia, Axel Cruau, has expressed hopes for academic collaboration between several universities in France with universities in Malaysia, including Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).

Axel said there are various aspects that can be expanded through the cooperation involving both countries.

“Through this cooperation, research can be conducted to produce better results.

“Students exchanges can also help to strengthen ties between both countries and provide opportunities to the students to learn the way of life of both countries,” he said during his courtesy call at UMS.

Present to receive him were UMS Vice Chancellor, Professor Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor and Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic and International, Professor Dr Shahril Yusof.

Axel also hoped of working together on matters related to the sea.

“I hope for cooperation in the field of marine biology, marine science, fisheries with universities in Malaysia,” he said.

Axel also hoped for all universities in Malaysia to attend a conference to be held in Kuala Lumpur to discuss further the matters raised.

Kasim welcomed the proposals and said UMS is always open to any academic collaborations that would provide positive impacts for both parties.

Also present were Dean of Faculty of Computing and Informatic, Associate Professor Ts. Dr. Mohd Hanafi Ahmad Hijazi; Dean of Center for Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning, Associate Professor Dr. Lai Yew Meng; Borneo Marine Research Institute Director, Associate Professor Ts Dr Sitti Raehanah Muhamad Shaleh; and Borneo Marine Research Institute’s Research and Innovation Deputy Director, Associate Professor Dr Ching Fui Fui.

Delegasi Fakulti Perniagaan, Ekonomi dan Perakaunan (FPEP), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) yang diketuai oleh Dekan FPEP, Profesor Madya Dr. Mohd Rahimie Abdul Karim, telah memeterai satu kerjasama bersama Hannam Universitiy (HNU), Korea Selatan sewaktu lawatan kerja delegasi UMS ke universiti itu baru-baru ini.

Jalinan kerjasama tersebut dimeterai dalam satu majlis menandatangani dokumen Letter of Intent (LoI) yang disempurnakan oleh Mohd Rahimie yang mewakili UMS, dan Pengarah Campus Innovation Park, HNU, Prof. Dr. Gu-Hwan Ho yang mewakili HNU.

Menurut Pengarah Unit Keusahawanan FPEP, Prof. Madya Mat Salleh Ayub, lawatan itu merupakan langkah awal dalam menjalinkan hubungan tiga hala antara UMS, industri dan agensi kerajaan bagi memacu pertumbuhan perusahaan mikro, kecil dan sederhana (PMKS) khususnya di negeri Sabah, selari dengan hala tuju Sabah Maju Jaya.

“Kerjasama ini penting dalam membantu negeri Sabah melahirkan ramai usahawan dalam kalangan graduan yang berdaya saing, kreatif, inovatif serta mempunyai kebolehpasaran yang meluas dengan mengambil konsep kejayaan PMKS di Korea Selatan

“Bagi melestarikan kerjasama antara kedua-dua universiti ini, program perkongsian, pemindahan pengetahuan dan teknologi serta pembelajaran berasaskan penghasilan produk akan dianjurkan melalui program mobiliti graduan dan staf antara UMS dan HNU,” katanya.

Hadir sama, Pengarah Pusat Pengurusan Penyelidikan UMS, Prof. Dr. Jumat Sulaiman; Timbalan Dekan (Akademik & Antarabangsa) FPEP, Dr. Sharifah Milda Amirul; Pengarah Pusat Luar UMS, Dr. Lim Thien Sang; Pengarah Akreditasi Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) FPEP, Rosle Mohidin; Pengurus akreditasi AACSB FPEP, Dr. Izaan Jamil; dan Ketua Pentadbiran FPEP, Jumiati Pajakai

Dalam pada itu, Mat Salleh menjelaskan, kolaborasi tersebut adalah berpaksikan kepada pemerkasaan peranan universiti dalam mengeksploitasi potensi membangunkan PMKS dalam kalangan graduan.

“Melalui projek Leaders in Industry-University Cooperation (LINC 3.0) yang diketuai oleh Prof. Peter Lee dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Hannam Bio Co., Sang-Sun Song, inisiatif ini dapat membuka ruang kepada FPEP UMS untuk turut serta dalam penerokaan membangunkan inkubator dengan menggunakan model atau Captone HNU.

Yang turut hadir, Dekan Pejabat Hal Ehwal Penyelidikan HNU, Prof. Dr. Tae-Dong Kim; Pegawai Maklumat LINC 3.0 Prof. Dr.Byung-Chul Lee; Prof. Dr. Heung-Soo Kim (LINC3.0); Prof. Dr. Bung-Kwon Min (LINC 3.0); Ketua LINC 3.0, Soo-Mi Kim, Ketua Kilang Reka Bentuk Hannam, En. Hyo-Kyun Park; serta Penyelidik LINC 3.0, Hyun-Woo Kim dan Jin-Sun Yang.