Taufiq (left) and Tamer exchanging the signed documents, witnessed by Noraini.
KOTA KINABALU (June 14): Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Yildiz Technical University (YTU) and Marmara University (MU) in Istanbul yesterday.
Vice Chancellor of UMS, Prof Datuk ChM Ts Dr Taufiq Yap Yun Hin disclosed that the MoU signed with YTU is cooperation in student and staff exchange activities under the Erasmus program, cooperation and coordination of joint research projects and organization of student co-curricular development activities such as academic conferences, lectures, special short training courses, seminars and symposia.
“Through the MoU, the two universities will share the corresponding Erasmus Mobility Grant to sponsor the exchange of at least three students for one semester, three university lecturers for the exchange of academic staff, and three administrative staff for five days each.
“The title of the joint research or matching grant that will be planned is regarding the marketability of graduates, as well as the readiness of graduates for the workforce. This research examines the influence of academic factors and soft skills on the marketability of higher education graduates in Malaysia and Turkey,” he said.
Taufiq signed the agreement on behalf of UMS, while YTU was represented by the Rector, Prof Dr Tamer Yilmaz.
As for the agreement with MU, Taufiq said the cooperation would focus on student mobility programs aimed at enhancing the students’ learning experience with exposure to cultural, economic, political, academic aspects and further the development of students’ minds.
“Through the staff mobility program under the Erasmus program, it indirectly provides training and improves staff skills in teaching, research and university development, thus promoting UMS at the international level.
“The MoU with the university also sees the Erasmus Mobility Grant will benefit at least three students for a student exchange program for one semester, three academic staff and an administrator each for a period of five days,” said Taufiq.
He added that another planned collaboration was a joint research project entitled ‘The role and impact of the minimum wage in post-pandemic economic recovery: A comparative study of Malaysia and Turkey’.
“This study aims to examine issues and questions on the extent to which the implementation of the minimum wage can reduce rising poverty and income inequality in Turkey and Malaysia, and how it can contribute to economic stability and recovery of both countries, especially at a time when the world is still facing the Covid-19,” he said.
According to Taufiq, the collaboration between the two universities is an effort by UMS to continue the momentum of increasing the percentage of marketability of UMS graduates which has recorded a percentage of 96.2 per cent last year compared to 92.02 per cent in the previous year.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Minister of Higher Education Malaysia, Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad who in her speech said the close relationship between Malaysia and Turkey continued to be utilized by Malaysia in exploring cooperation, especially in the field of higher education between the two countries.
Noraini said the ministry always supported the efforts of institutions of higher learning in Malaysia to establish cooperation in the academic field, exchange of students and staff, as well as in research activities.
“Bilateral cooperation between higher learning institutes of the two countries will not only increase the visibility of universities in Malaysia at the international level, but also have the potential to attract international students to Malaysia, as well as be able to increase the marketability of graduates,” she said.