UPMKB delegation visits Nanning in bid to drive innovation in agricultural vocational education

BINTULU (July 7): A delegation from Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Campus’ (UPMKB) Faculty of Humanities, Management and Sciences visited Nanning, Guangxi recently.

Their visit aimed to further drive innovation in agricultural vocational education and hoped to explore potential collaborations, short-term mobility programmes and promote UPMKB’s postgraduate programmes.

The delegation, led by the faculty’s dean Assoc Prof Dr Wong Tze Jin, introduced UPMKB as a renowned hub of higher education in Borneo.

According to him, the discussions aimed to introduce UPMKB as a higher education institution focused on agriculture, in line with agricultural vocational education.

“The discussions with these universities not only provided exposure to vocational education in Nanning but also opened opportunities for us to present Malaysia as a destination for postgraduate education for their students,” he said in a statement.

The universities visited included Guangxi Vocational University of Agriculture, Nanning Vocational and Technical University, Nanning University, Guangxi Minzu University and Guangxi University of Finance and Economics.

These universities in Nanning started out as vocational education institutions before evolving into comprehensive educational institutions offering a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

In addition, the UPMKB delegation also engaged in discussions on short-term mobility programmes that would enhance UPMKB’s visibility.

These programmes expect to provide opportunities for students and staff to gain international experience and expand their professional networks.

“UPMKB consistently supports efforts to drive collaboration between international higher education institutions to support Sarawak’s aspiration to become a globally respected higher education hub,” said Dr Wong.

Additionally, the delegation emphasised UPM’s focus as a university dedicated to food security, particularly in increasing agricultural productivity and innovation.

The UPMKB delegation was also given a tour of high-tech greenhouses and the infrastructure of these universities to view the research and learning facilities offered.

This visit provided a clearer picture of the potential collaborations in the fields of research and agricultural technology development, it said.

Accompanying the delegation were Dr Alvin Lim Teik Zheng from the Department of Science and Technology, Faculty of Humanities, Management, and Science at UPMKB and Muhammad Syafiq Farhan Boo Omar Boo, Head of the Mobility Section, Putra International Center, UPM.