Dr Sim strikes the gong to symbolically officiate the conference while Jamil (left) and others look on. — Photo by Kong Jun Liung
KUCHING (Oct 3): The Sarawak government aspires to seek the transformation of education by leveraging on technology to ensure a future-ready generation, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said the state welcomes pioneering initiatives to democratise education, ensuring accessibility and quality.
“We envisage a state where the confluence of education and technology acts as a catalyst for socio-economic transformation, ensuring a brighter future for our upcoming generations.
“Our state’s commitment to these objectives is unwavering,” he said at the opening of the inaugural International Conference on Business and Technological Advancement in Industrial Revolution 4.0 (ICoBTA-IR4.0) 2023 here today.
His speech was read by Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian at the event, which was held simultaneously with the closing of the International Conference on Computational Methods in Engineering & Health Sciences (ICCMEH) 2023.
The unique amalgamation of the two conferences, organised by Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), were part of the Erasmus+ Key Action 2 Capacity Building Programme in the field of higher education projects co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
Abang Johari said with the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), greater automation and artificial intelligence, connectivity between machines is the focus of Industry 4.0.
“Incorporating Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), an integral component of Industry 4.0 technologies, plays a pivotal role in the digital economy, significantly bolstering engineers’ capacity through simulation to attain precise results in various engineering studies and design optimisations.
“This technology facilitates the optimisation of designs to enhance product or system performance and aids in identifying areas necessitating adjustments before operation and manufacturing.
“By synergising CFD and Industry 4.0 technologies, the industry can craft innovative solutions that set it apart, enabling it to differentiate itself from competitors by elevating its operational efficiency, flexibility, responsiveness, and cost-effectiveness,” he said.
He said this impact resonates with the Sarawak government’s agenda in developing new technologies and solutions to transform into a digital and green economy for a common regional prosperity.
Meanwhile, UiTM Sarawak Rector Prof Dato Dr Jamil Hamali said the university is a partner of seven consortiums with Erasmus+ Key Action 2 Capacity Building in the Field of Higher Education, with various projects related to the digital economy since 2015.
“The transnational proposals were carefully made in line with the needs of all the Asian Partners’ countries from the public authorities and industry perspective.
“The educational challenges lie in what makes them so interested in finding employees who have the potential to manage broad solutions and complex ecosystems in the pursuit of the digital and green economy,” he said.
He said UiTM Sarawak has completed two projects in Blended Learning led by Aix Marseille University, France and Food Processing and Innovation led by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
“Today, we are ending another two projects, APPLY, led by Chieng Mai University and Industrial Revolution 4.0, led by UiTM.
“Three more are still ongoing namely Family Business Management (FAB) by the National University of Management, Cambodia; Portable Video Conferencing Toolkits led by Danmarks Tekniseke Universitet, Denmark; and this year, we are starting with Smart City ASEAN Learning Network led by Universiti Malaya,” he said.
He added that the university has benefited tremendously in offering new Master Programmes and Professional Courses developed with the transnational effort with continuous collaboration in students and academic staff mobility programmes and research activities.