KUALA BERANG: The Higher Education Ministry will expand the ‘Kembara Pendidikan Tinggi’, a higher education outreach programme, nationwide as a new approach to bring higher education institutions closer to the community and contribute directly to community development.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the programme was implemented through collaboration among public universities, polytechnics and community colleges to translate institutional knowledge and expertise to local communities.
He said the initiative, which was launched in Terengganu today, will be expanded to other states in stages.
"The purpose of this programme is for us to engage with the people and the community by involving universities, polytechnics and community colleges. This is an effort to translate the education and knowledge we gain in universities, polytechnics and community colleges to the community.
"‘Kembara’ means going down to villages to identify areas that require the involvement of universities in efforts to improve the socio-economic conditions of the community, as well as to develop these areas through knowledge-based projects,” he said after launching the Kembara Pendidikan Tinggi@Terengganu in conjunction with the handing over of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu’s (UMT) Kampung Angkat Madani here on Tuesday (May 19).
He said UMT was selected as the lead university to implement the programme as part of efforts to help improve the socio-economic conditions of communities through knowledge- and expertise-based projects.
"For example, we can see how UMT has an advantage in the production of ‘kelulut’ (stingless bee) honey. That knowledge is then translated at the village level so that local communities can also engage in stingless bee honey production.
"Alhamdulillah, one of the successes we can see is the group-based production of stingless bee honey by village communities. In addition, there are also initiatives in mushroom cultivation that help increase the income of residents in certain areas,” he said.
He added that the involvement is not limited to UMT, but also includes other institutions located near the identified areas to ensure the programme’s benefits are extended to local communities.
Several other universities, including Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) and Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), which have expertise in their respective fields, are also participating in the initiative.
"We do not just visit an area once; instead, continuous programmes will be carried out in identified areas to ensure various aspects of development are implemented, including collaboration with schools.
He said the ministry is also implementing programmes with schools by identifying 12 schools to be involved in the initiative.
Collaboration with these schools is expected to broaden students’ knowledge, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), which is among the key focus areas.
Commenting on the number of beneficiaries, Zambry said each community will be identified based on specific areas, whether at the district or sub-district (mukim) level, depending on population size and local needs.
"For example, there are programmes that have been implemented and have benefited about 5,000 residents through various activities and community initiatives.
"The number of beneficiaries also varies depending on the scale of the programme, as some involve only one mukim or a single village with smaller participation,” he said.- Bernama
