Second row: His Excellency Bai Tian (seventh from left), Prof Chuah (middle), Tan Sri Ting (seventh from right) and Ms Qian (second from right) with UTAR Council members and financial aid recipients
A total of 24 UTAR students received financial aid from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China. The financial aid presentation ceremony took place on 16 July 2018 at Sungai Long Campus. It was presented by the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Malaysia, His Excellency Bai Tian.
The financial aid recipients were 24 UTAR students consisting of Malays, Chinese and Indians. A total of RM72,000 was disbursed by the China Embassy for this financial aid with each deserving UTAR student receiving RM3,000 in recognition of their contributions and achievements in the University. The financial aid is a one-off amount given to needy students to obtain a university degree.
Also present at the financial aid ceremony were Head of Political Section Qian Jun Jun, UTAR Council Chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Ting Chew Peh, UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik, UTAR Council members Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Chor Chee Heung, Datuk Lim Si Cheng and Datuk Lee Leck Cheng, UTAR Vice President for Internationalisation and Academic Development Prof Ir Dr Ewe Hong Tat, Attache Chen Xin, Attache Qiu Zili, financial aid recipients, UTAR staff and students. Among the audience were 30 exchange students and one exchange staff from Wenzhou Medical University, China.
UTAR Chinese Orchestra performing during the opening ceremony
The opening ceremony was graced by the performances from UTAR Lion Dance Club and Chinese Orchestra to welcome the arrival of the guests. In his welcome speech, Prof Chuah expressed his deepest gratitude to the China Embassy in Malaysia for their strong support towards UTAR. “UTAR has been providing financial assistance to our students since the university started. As of today, we have awarded scholarships worth more than RM139million to needy students. We also have 17 different scholarships that were given by individual corporations and embassies.”
Prof Chuah expressing his gratitude to His Excellency Bai Tian
According to Prof Chuah, the first financial aid by the China Embassy to UTAR students was in 2016 where 20 Malay students received RM3,000 each to help them fund their studies in UTAR. He added, “The China Embassy in Malaysia also donated RM10,000 in total towards UTAR Chinese Orchestra, 24 Festives Drums and the Lion Dance Club for their activities and upkeep of instruments.”
“Over the years, UTAR has been collaborating with international universities and industry partners to provide a complete holistic education incorporating the global experience for our students. To date, UTAR has agreements with more than 280 foreign and local universities, industry partners from 25 economies and MoU partnerships with more than 50 universities and institutions in China,” said Prof Chuah. He then continued, “UTAR has been very positive and supportive of China’s initiatives and has been promoting collaborative knowledge exchange, research and student exchanges between the two nations. We are always proud to host students from China on the student exchange programme.”
His Excellency Bai Tian talking about China-Malaysia relations
Speaking at the financial aid presentation ceremony, His Excellency Bai Tian talked about China-Malaysia relation after the change of government in Malaysia. “After the new Government took over, I met the government ministers and I was impressed with their strong interest and goodwill in promoting China-Malaysia collaboration in different aspects.” He then continued, “All these interactions between the new government and myself only proves our continuous momentum to improve the China-Malaysia friendship and collaboration. This is the new era of Malaysia. Our administration with the new government will continue and we hope that the strong desire and the determination of Malaysia’s new Government will further enhance China-Malaysia cooperation.”
He added, “Looking forward, we are confident in China-Malaysia relation. Besides the traditional areas of collaborations, we shall also look into new areas of collaboration such as Science and Technology. We will also try to reach out to a wider community and let more people, especially the youths, to get involved and benefit from this ever growing cooperation.”
According to His Excellency Bai Tian, the Chinese government has always encouraged the importance of youth exchange between China and Malaysia. “I am very happy to hear that there are many undergoing collaborative projects between UTAR and China universities. We wish to see more Malaysian students furthering their studies in China, knowing more about China and becoming friends with China. We also hope the students in Malaysia will have better chances of furthering their higher education.”
His Excellency Bai Tian also expressed his gratitude to UTAR for providing an opportunity to carry out this act of kindness. “The China Embassy is proud to offer our humble and sincere support to the needy students by providing them with a certain amount of financial aid in the last two years in a row. We wish to continue this financial aid programme for the coming years. I hope with the financial aid, more students will be able to fulfil their dreams, explore better education, make their own contribution to the future of the nation and play a role in bridging the friendship between China and Malaysia.”
Performance by 24 Festives Drums
The ceremony also saw the presentation of certificates to the financial aid recipients. It was followed by a souvenir exchange session and a performance by the 24 Festives Drums.
Muhamad Syamil, recipient of the financial aid said, “I feel very lucky to be chosen as a recipient for this financial aid. This financial aid is very useful for me because it helps to reduce my burden. I would like to thank the China Embassy in Malaysia for helping students who are having financial difficulties and I wish that they will continue to help more needy students in the future.”
Meanwhile, Vivaaindrean Ng expressed his surprise because he did not expect to be selected as the recipient of the financial aid. He thanked the China Embassy of Malaysia and UTAR for helping him with his financial problem. He hopes that the relationship between the China Embassy in Malaysia and Malaysia will be fostered to a whole new level in the coming years.
Another recipient, Naomi Selvamalar said, “I come from a family with financial difficulty. Besides study, there are other expenditures that I have to consider. Hence, this financial aid is indeed very helpful. I would like to thank the China Embassy in Malaysia and UTAR for acknowledging all these 24 students. This good deed will affect a lot of the people.”
The financial aid was given by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Malaysia is one of the many financial support provided to UTAR students. UTAR constantly emphasises its commitment to give back to society through financial aid such as UTAR internal scholarships and loans. To date, about 14,330 UTAR students have benefited from the internal loans and scholarships awarded by UTAR to support the students’ education in the University.
Prof Chuah (right) presenting a token of appreciation to His Excellency Bai Tian
His Excellency Bai Tian (third from left) presenting a token of appreciation to Prof Chuah while Datuk Lim (far left), Tan Sri Chor, Tan Sri Ting and Datuk Lee look on
Second row: His Excellency Bai Tian (sixth from left) receiving a token of appreciation from a financial aid recipient while Prof Chuah (middle), Tan Sri Ting (seventh from right), Ms Qian (second from right), UTAR Council members and financial aid recipients look on
Representative from 24 Festives Drums Yong Zhang Khang presenting a token of appreciation to His Excellency Bai Tian (third from left) while (from left) Datuk Lim, Tan Sri Chor, Prof Chuah, Tan Sri Ting, Ms Qian and Datuk Lee look on
Representative from Lion Dance Club Lai Choon Wei presenting a token of appreciation to His Excellency Bai Tian (third from left) while (from left) Datuk Lim, Tan Sri Chor, Prof Chuah, Tan Sri Ting, Ms Qian and Datuk Lee look on
Representative from Chinese Orchestra Woh Kah How presenting a token of appreciation to His Excellency Bai Tian (third from left) while (from left) Datuk Lim, Tan Sri Chor, Prof Chuah, Tan Sri Ting, Ms Qian and Datuk Lee look on
Fourth from left: Datuk Lim, Tan Sri Chor, His Excellency Bai Tian, Prof Chuah, Tan Sri Ting, Ms Qian and Datuk Lee with the members of Chinese Orchestra, Lion Dance Club and 24 Festives Drums
UTAR staff with the members of Chinese Orchestra, Lion Dance Club and 24 Festives Drums
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