Muhyiddin, accompanied by Musa (left) and Masidi (second left), shaking hands with students at the gathering.
KOTA KINABALU: The excellent performance of University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) is not only seen in the academic field but also in activities requiring soft skills.
“Activities such as leadership and training, participation in community service, volunteering with other agencies such as IM4U, Shell and Petronas, entrepreneurial activities, public speaking, debates, oratory and also arts and culture are activities which enhance the soft skills of students,” said UMS Vice-Chancellor, professor Datuk Dr. Mohd Harun Abdullah during a special gathering between UMS and UiTM Sabah branch students with Deputy Prime Minister cum Minister of Education, Datuk Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin.
Also present at the event were Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, who is also the Minister-in-charge of Education.
In his speech, Harun stated that UMS should be proud of the success achieved in the university co-curriculum, especially the achievement by the Student In Free Enterprise (SIFE) team, which is currently known as ENACTUS.
He said that the team has been successfully defending the national championship title since the year 2011 until now. He also explained that the team had been representing Malaysia at the World Cup Championship in Berlin, Germany in 2011, Washington DC in 2012, and currently the team are representing the country again to compete in Cancun, Mexico on Sept 29 until Oct 1.
“Apart from that, UMS has also gained high accomplishment in sporting events,” Harun added.
UMS earned two gold medals in sporting events this year, namely the Poomsae Taekwando competition in the MASUM championship and the open fencing competition in Shenzhen, China. UMS also won the runner-up title in the MASUM championship.
Harun also proudly announced the success of Emmy Ahkim who was crowned as sportwoman of the MASUM 2013 championship.
“The students should be grateful for what the government has done for them,” he said.
“This special gathering shows that the government is concerned about and gives their full support to the students of UMS and UiTM Sabah branch,” he added.
Harun took pride in the fact that over the last 20 years UMS had gone through several phases of development which has made the university comparable to and also given it the ability to compete with other senior local universities in the field of student activities, sporting events, co-curriculum, and academics.
He also advised the students to be modest in pursuing knowledge, to have and be firm in their own stand and to always remember God as the creator of all things.