WEDNESDAY, 09 APRIL – More than 50 participants of the 1^st Regional Conference On Campus Sustainability (1RCCS) 2014 took part in a tree-planting activity held at the Chancellery Building car park adjacent grounds. The simple and brief tree-planting activity was part of the conference’s Forestation Programme and was seen to be one of the steps for campus sustainability.

The early morning activity was led by the Director of EcoCampus Management Centre, Dr. Awangku Hassanal Bahar bin Pengiran Bagul who touched on the reason why Gaharu or Agarwood was selected as the chosen tree for this activity. This was followed by a briefing on tree-planting by a senior lecturer on Wood Technology and Industry of the School of International Tropical Forestry (SPTA) UMS, Ag. Ahmad bin Mohd. Yunus.

About 63 Gaharu or Agarwood saplings were planted; where the soil were later covered with residual wood, free of wood chemical to trap moisture which in time would turn into organic fertiliser. The planting activity was supervised by senior lecturers and lecturers from SPTA, UMS.

With the theme “Building Sustainability Edge Through Institutional Strategy”, the Regional Conference was organised in collaboration with Universiti Malaya and the Higher Education Leadership Academy (AKEPT) and the Palawan State University of Philippines.

The tree-planting activity however was in cooperation with EcoCampus Management Centre, SPTA and the Office for International Affairs (PHEA). – FL

 

Media and Citra Division

Chancellery Department 

TUESDAY, 08 APRIL – Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) today officially became the only other training centre in the world for the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA) course, after University of Cyprus.

The launching ceremony of the training centre was officiated by Datuk Pang Nyuk Ming, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment who represented Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah held at the Galeri, Chancellery Building, UMS.

In his speech read by Datuk Pang, Datuk Masidi said that Sabah had blossomed into a tourist destination to be reckoned with amongst others in the world, and included that a tourist guide remained an important ambassador of the country.

“I am pleased that those discussions in 2012 came to fruition today,” he said, referring to the first recce done by the then President of WFTGA, Rosalind Newlands who surveyed the local attractions, and UMS as a potential partner; culminating into the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement in January 2013 at the 15^th Convention of WFTGA held in Macau, China.

Earlier, in his speech read by Prof. Dr. Shahril Yusof, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation) UMS, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Datuk Dr. Mohd Harun Abdullah acknowledged the goal of WFTGA courses in providing further training to uplift a guide’s professionalism. This was to comply with the ASEAN Tourism standards by 2015.

Current WFTGA President, Felicitas Wressnig mentioned that the association was proud to have more than 82 countries as members and welcomed the first cohort of participants both locally and internationally.

The official launching ceremony was also attended by Grace Leong, President of Sabah Tourist Guide Association (STGA); Iris Barry, WFTGA Trainer; Roger Rajah, Trainer and Course Director for the International Training Centre (ITC) Sabah and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rasid Mail, Dean of the School of Business and Economics, UMS. – FL