Chinese embassy awards financial aid

The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Malaysia awarded financial aid to 20 UTAR students. The award giving ceremony was held on 25 August 2016 at Sungai Long Campus.

The award recipients were 20 Malay undergraduates evenly chosen from the Kampar and Sungai Long Campuses. A total of RM60,000 was disbursed by the embassy for this financial aid award with each deserving UTAR student given RM3,000 in recognition of their academic achievements. The financial aid award was specially created and given solely on this occasion only.

Present at the award giving ceremony were its guest of honour, the Malaysian Second Minister of International Trade and Industry, YB Dato’ Seri Ong Ka Chuan; the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Malaysia, His Excellency Dr Huang Huikang; and UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik. The ceremony also saw the presence of UTAR Vice President for Internationalisation and Academic Development Prof Ir Dr Ewe Hong Tat, as well as Third Secretary Gao Shuang and Attaché Bai Yuzhu from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Malaysia.

Back row, sixth from left: Gao, Prof Chuah, His Excellency Dr Huang, YB Dato’ Seri Ong, Prof Ewe, and Bai with the financial aid award recipients

In his welcome speech, Prof Chuah expressed his heartiest gratitude to the Embassy and His Excellency for providing financial support to the commendable students through this meaningful award. He elaborated, “UTAR as a not-for-profit university constantly emphasises its obligation to give back to society since its inception. To date, RM107.8 million worth of internal scholarships and more than RM6 million of internal loans have been disbursed to over 12,226 deserving UTAR students.”

“Through MoUs and collaborative agreements with many local and international universities and industrial partners, UTAR is able to sustain its growth to provide more opportunities for student and staff exchanges, trainings, internships and research collaborations.” Prof Chuah added, “The recent setup of the first offshore Mencius Institute in our Kampar Campus marked another milestone in UTAR’s history to becoming a global university of educational excellence with transformative societal impact.”

Citing UTAR graduates’ employment rate of 97% within six months of graduation, Prof Chuah attributed the high employability to the students’ adaptability to multicultural and multilingual environments. He advised, “I hope our students will capitalise on their strengths at the workplace, and continue the university’s legacy by giving back to the university through any form of contribution you are capable of.”

His Excellency Dr Huang speaking at the award giving ceremony

Speaking at the award giving ceremony, Dr Huang enthused, “Today’s ceremony demonstrates that the embassy is interested about Malaysian education, besides the country’s development in other aspects. We do not only pay attention to the Chinese community, but also to other Malaysian communities such as the Malay students. It is my wish that this initiative generates awareness that comprehensiveness and inclusiveness are important assets in sustaining the amicable friendship between China and Malaysia.”

“Knowledge is power; align yourselves with UTAR’s philosophy of ‘by the people, for the people’. The embassy hopes to contribute to society as we believe everyone should have equal access to education. Therefore, we wish to help students to achieve their dreams in spite of their financial difficulties.” Dr Huang added, “I am very impressed that UTAR as a young university has established such strong foundations by expanding its scholastic strengths through continuous academic development and international networking with multiple collaborative partners. I yearn to see more students materialising their ambitions through their studious ventures in UTAR and contributing to their respective communities, as well as the nation in the future.”

Dato’ Seri Ong said, “The award goes beyond an act of generosity as it recognises the students’ achievements which will encourage them to strive further on their scholastic journeys.” He highlighted that the world is progressing towards increasing integration where holistic mind-sets are key to fostering closer relationships between all economies. “China and Malaysia enjoy a special bond where we are interdependent and mutually important, sharing ties that bind us socially and economically. As such, the bridge for cultural, commercial and educational exchanges between China and Malaysia remains sturdy to this day.”

He added, “The financial aid award has made this bridge of connection even stronger. This event initiated by the embassy as a caring gesture goes beyond the boundaries of race and culture in support of education and the close ties between China and Malaysia. I do hope the students will pass on this gesture to others in need when the time comes in the future.”

Some award recipients with Prof Chuah and His Excellency Dr Huang