KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 — While the Covid-19 pandemic has caused many celebrations to be cancelled or postponed, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) continued to commemorate its 50th anniversary in a more unique way.

The university today celebrated its half-a-century milestone through a series of virtual activities on social media due to the outbreak and the conditional movement control order (CMCO).

Established on May 18, 1970, UKM opened its doors to 192 pioneering undergraduates at Jalan Pantai Baru, Kuala Lumpur, which at that time was a temporary campus of three faculties – Science, Arts and Islamic Studies.  

It was set up with an aim to uphold the national language and see the nation flourish in various fields of knowledge.

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Today, the university is among Malaysia’s top oldest universities and prides itself on impactful and beneficial research.

The varsity has also produced many outstanding alumni in many fields who have vastly contributed to the country’s growth and prosperity.

Among the notable UKM alumni are Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on public health Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, National Heart Institute chief executive officer Datuk Dr Aizai Azan Abdul Rahim and former transport and health minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

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Despite not being able to celebrate the milestone as initially planned, UKM Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Mohd Hamdi Abd Shukor said he was satisfied with the overwhelming response they received online during their virtual anniversary celebration this morning.

“We had planned to have a grand ceremony at our main hall followed by various programmes, however, due to the threat from the Covid-19 pandemic and to adhere to guidelines by authorities in CMCO, we shifted the 50th Year Golden Jubilee of UKM celebration online.

“The response was overwhelming.

“Just this morning we had a good online forum session titled Bicara Jubli Emas 50 Tahun UKM with our prominent scholars who have been with UKM from the early days and recorded close to 17,000 total participants on Zoom and Facebook live,” he added.

Mohd Hamdi also said they could feel the excitement on social media and received many wishes and compliments from staff, students, alumni members, industry partners as well as Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Higher Education Minister Datuk Noraini Ahmad.

Liow, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Nutrition) from UKM, also congratulated the university and reminisced about his early days as a student.

“I’m proud to be the graduate of UKM,” he told Malay Mail in a text message.

“The varsity has given me the opportunity to unearth my potential to excel academically, in leadership skills and participate in non-governmental organisations activities.

“We organised study tours and baktisiswa serving the kampung folks during our semester break,” he added.

Liow also wished UKM every success in its future endeavours.

Virtual anniversary celebration

To commemorate UKM’s 50th anniversary a panel of alumni members took part in the live-stream Gold Jubilee panel session on Facebook Live.

UKM Chancellor Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Almarhum Tuanku Munawir also delivered a special live-stream speech to congratulate the university’s success over the years.  

The esteemed panellists, including Professor Emeritus Ibrahim Komoo, Professor Datuk Seri Syed Arabi Idid, Professor Datuk Abdul Razak Ahmad and Professor Datin Paduka Jawiah Dakir, shared their experiences and hopes for the future of their beloved alma mater.

“UKM has reached the 50-year-old mark and there’s a lot of experiences to learn from, but we have to look forward to the next 50 years,” said former deputy vice-chancellor of research Ibrahim. 

“We need to think further ahead, keep recruiting successful academicians and look for our uniqueness.”

He added that the introduction of multi-disciplinary studies was important to developing the university, to continue creating qualified and influential graduates. 

International Islamic University Malaysia Professor of Communication Syed Arabi reciprocated Dr Ibrahim’s beliefs as he mentioned that new ways of teaching and imparting knowledge will have to be formed, because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The old methods can’t be used anymore. We have to use new methods that can trigger the formation of new theories,” said Syed Arabi. 

“Multi-disciplinary studies are essential to the development of UKM, but we should also look at academic development as a whole.

“With the Covid-19 virus around, a lot of new developments will be made. So we have to think about how we can use new technologies to work together.”

Abdul Razak and Jawiah, on the other hand, spoke of how it was also crucial for UKM to revisit its core values and adapt to the changing environment, whilst still keeping true to its goal of producing graduates who contribute to society.

“UKM is like any other universities in the new era, the new millennium full of challenges. We should look at how we can sustain ourselves,” said Abdul Razak. 

“We need to revisit the mission and vision of the university, plan strategically and make improvements where necessary for the sake of the university’s future in the next 50 years pushing into the 3000s hopefully.”

He added that UKM should take inspiration from long-standing and esteemed universities like Harvard University and Oxford University, in order to “stay relevant” and one day gain international recognition. 

Jawiah of the faculty of Islamic Studies instead hoped that UKM would strive to be the top university in Malaysia. 

“UKM was created to serve the people, to inspire and create the future. That should not be forgotten. Every staff at UKM has a part to play in the success of our institution.” said Jawiah.