Befitting its slogan “University for Society”, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) has once again organized an activity involving a community. The event which included the release of mud crab seeds was held at Sedili Kecil, Kota Tinggi. Higher Education Minister Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin officiated the programme.

The programme was held in response to a strong recommendation by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) that each research conducted by universities needs to be shared with stakeholders that comprise students, society, and industries.

A similar programme held earlier in May in Kota Tinggi received positive feedback from the community. The success encouraged UMT to continue organizing such activities, this time a programme that saw about 10,000 mud crab seeds being released into Sedili Kecil river.

The programme can be impactful in that it can potentially help the local fishermen increase their catch and help increase the population of mud crabs at Sedili Kecil so that their number is sustainable in the future.

Higher education institutions should not just implement activities at nearby localities but need to see the potential at other areas, said Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled. MOHE emphasizes MADANI economic elements that consist of Talent Preparation, Research and Innovation, Knowledge Transfer, and Internationalization to strengthen Malaysia’s higher education.

The programme held in collaboration with MOHE is part of UMT’s social responsibility initiative that aims to improve social wellbeing. The aim can be achieved through activities that focus on strengthening the society, research relevant to social issues, and collaborations with other sectors to create positive impacts, such as the programme held today.

UMT Vice Chancellor Professor Dato’ Dr. Mazlan Abd Ghaffar said UMT stresses on three main roles, namely generation of new knowledge through impactful research, dissemination of new knowledge through academic programmes, and transfer of research-based knowledge to help solve problems in society.

He said the effort by UMT can help generate a source of income for Sedili Kecil community and nearby areas. The university shows high commitment to transform the lives of fishermen through research and knowledge transfer activities. This is part of UMT’s contributions to socioeconomic development of the fishermen community in Sedili. It is hoped the programme can lead to sustainable fisheries industry in the area.

Published by:

Corporate Communications Office
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu