Welcome Rakan Sarawak October 2002

Rangkaian Khidmat Awam Negeri Sarawak

A MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF RAKAN SARAWAK BULLETIN

(People, events, activities and programmes which make for a total quality-managed Sarawak Civil Service)

ISSN 1394-5726

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Contents provided by:

Curtin Sarawak Campus - Augurs Well for the Development of the State R & D

YB Senator Dato Abdul Aziz bin Shamsudin beating the gong witnessed by YB Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr. George Chan (middle) and YB Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui (3rd from right)

The launching of Curtin Sarawak Campus in Miri is the first step towards promoting major R&D activities with the government to benefit the overall development of the State.

This was said by the Chief Minister of Sarawak, YAB Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud when he officiated the launching of the University's campus at Senadin on September 23, 2002.

Key findings from researches done in collaboration with universities, especially those involving technology, are crucial to help chart the future of the state's economy. The University is currently conducting a joint research with the Public Works Department (JKR) on soil engineering with the objective of designing a cheaper and more reliable method of road construction in Sarawak. Sarawak's peat soil along the coastal areas has always been a challenge for JKR to construct durable and reliable roads. Useful findings derived from the research would help the state to overcome some of the problems derived from the coastal terrain and help speed up the construction of the second trunk road.

On education, the Chief Minister praised the setting up of the Curtin University of Technology Sarawak Campus, a move needed to produce more people with creative and analytical thinking skill to survive in this age of information technology.

"What we need now is highly skilled economy in order to prosper and this is where education comes in", he said. An Australian university graduate himself, the Chief Minister has already envisaged that an advancement in technology shall be the key determinant of the State's future. Quality education is the crucial factor in this new direction.

The realisation of the long cherished dream of establishing a world-class university in Miri was the hard work and dedication of Sarawak's Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Amar Dr. George Chan Hong Nam who brought his team to KL and Perth to work out the details. Datuk Chan, who is also the Minister of Finance and Minister of Industrial Development managed to convince the Chief Minister on the viability of this project and a 1-000 acre site on the fastest growing development area in Miri was allocated.

Miri, with its strategic location, long involvement in the oil and gas industries, large expatriate population, proximity to oil-rich Brunei Darussalam and great eco-tourism potentials convinced the management of Curtin University of Technology, Australia to agree to set up a campus here. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Sprawling, impressive and ultra modern Curtin Sarawak new campus

The RM400 million new Lutong campus will replace the temporary facilities at the Riam Road and can eventually accom-modate 10,000 students. Curtin University Malaysia is 80% owned by state government agencies.

In conjunction with the launching, an international conference on Higher Education for the 21st Century was held from 24 - 26 September, 2002. Co-organised by the Curtin University of Technology and Sarawak

Development Institute, the conference was attended by 200 scholars and researchers from around the world. A total of 73 papers were presented by speakers from 15 countries who shared a range of perspective on the following themes : excellence in teaching and learning, governance of universities in the 21st century, cultural approaches in teaching and learning, the use of ICT in teaching and learning; and teaching and learning for a knowledge-based society. The objective of the conference was to provide a venue for discussion on recent developments in higher education and their importance to the international community of the new century.

Officiating at the opening ceremony was YB Senator Dato Abdul Aziz bin Samsuddin, Deputy Minister of Education, Malaysia. Also present were YB Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr. George Chan Hong Nam, YB Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui, Federal Minister for Housing and Local Government and Datuk Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, Assistant Minister for Industrial Development.