As a higher learning institution founded by the bedrock principle of ‘by the people, for the people’, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) is more than committed in nurturing students to become successful individuals with a heart for the community via its holistic and quality education.

Over the years, UTAR has maintained its affordable fees as their continuous effort to provide accessible education to all, and that effort has been proven successful with the current number of alumni, which now stands at over 61,600. UTAR is also ranked 100-200 in the overall Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings 2019 following the university’s performance and achievements in the top three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - which are Goal 4, 5, 10 – and also Goal 17. The award from Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings 2019 recognises universities across the world for their social and economic impact according to the SDGs outlined by the United Nations (UN).

Goal 4: Quality Education

Also recognised as one of the 17 SDGs, Goal 4 emphasises on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. The same emphasis is found in UTAR’s vision of becoming a global university of educational excellence with transformative societal impact. It is the echo of the university’s belief that education is not limited to providing knowledge to learners, but also transforming their lives through the knowledge and experiences gained. Experiences resulting from students’ participation in impactful activities are particularly rewarding; it not only evokes their empathy, but it is also equally beneficial to the society and the environment around them.

Such essence of quality education is found in the UTAR New Village Community Project, organised by Department of Soft Skills Competency (DSSC). As an approach to gather insightful information about the New Villages, the project was also initiated by UTAR with the aim to enable students to contribute to the community. The project currently consists of five sub-programmes, namely New Village Tour, New Village Survey, New Village Community Service (We Care, We Act), New Village Collaborative Project, and New Village E-commerce Project. 

Many, particularly students, perceived that these New Villages were places that only consist of the older folks, but these New Villages hold many hidden secrets that are worth revealing. Through the project, students learnt in the most immersive ways about the New Villages and its residents. They rediscovered forgotten histories and explored unknown cultures and practices; all while nurturing students to have a serviceable heart. It is the increasing empathy, cultivated from their participation, which gives them the opportunity to understand human interaction and communal relationship as some of the interesting ways to increase one’s knowledge and experience. Certainly students’ acquisition of skills is not limited to communication, as they too learnt creativity, problem-solving, entrepreneurship and analytical skills. Quality education is therefore not limited to classroom settings, and students finally understood the importance of participating in extra-curricular activities.

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities & Goal 1: No Poverty

The realisation of the importance of gaining knowledge and acquiring skills is not only found among students but the communities as well. The same project also offers the communities sustainable life lessons that enhance their lives and improve the villages’ economy. Apart from the fun-filled educational activities from the English Tuition and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workshop organised for children, the skills and knowledge shared to the communities by UTAR students became an asset for the New Villages to thrive. For instance educating the local residents on e-commerce and ways to leverage on online business not only exposed the village to the world, but also its local products. Understanding the unique and convenient features of online platform enable local business operators to increase product marketability and profit. These profits would drive the local economy, which in return would drive the fund for the village to build sustainable infrastructures. The building of sustainable infrastructures achieves Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities & Communities, which aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. In this aspect, a sustainable village is also viewed as a viable solution to end poverty, which is emphasised by Goal 1 – No Poverty.

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being

In all efforts to help these New Villages thrive, the UTAR New Village Community Project also looks into the health and well-being of the residents. As Goal 3 – Good Health & Well-bring, emphasises on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages, academics and students from Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) have been volunteering to conduct free health screening for the residents. This initiative is particularly important because apart from the university contributing to the concerted efforts to achieve Goal 3, the educational aspects of good health and well-being shared to residents are vital to address the growing number of non-communicable diseases, including mental health. As highlighted by UN, Goal 3 is also outlined to tackle antimicrobial resistance and determinants of health, such as air pollution and inadequate water and sanitation. The university hopes that through these activities, residents are better informed and encouraged to practise good health and well-being habits, and ensuring that the same knowledge and practices are being taught to the younger generation.

A boost to the local tourism industry of the New Villages is certainly another benefit the project offers. If managed correctly and effectively, residents would be able to promote the uniqueness of their villages to Malaysians and international tourists, which further drives the tourism traffic. Altogether, these sustainability initiatives add value to the longevity of the New Villages while strengthening UTAR’s founding principle of by the people, for the people, and promoting the university’s SDGs achievements.

Goal 17: Partnerships

Strong collaborations with external organisations and educational institutions are also valued in UTAR. It is the university’s many approaches to achieving SDGs, specifically Goal 17 – Partnerships for the Goals, which looks into strengthening the means of implementation and revitalising the global partnership for sustainable development. Since its establishment, UTAR has formed various collaborations ranging from research collaborations to student events and charitable community events.

The annual Kuala Lumpur Engineering Science Fair (KLESF) is of such fine example, of which collaborations between ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology (AAET), UTAR, Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), and The Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM), have benefitted students and public since 2014. It aimed to promote interest in STEM among primary and secondary school students. Ultimately, activities such as experiments, workshops, competitions, performances and exhibitions enhance awareness of the public on the roles and importance of STEM in socio-economic wellbeing and sustainable development.

With that awareness enhanced, KLESF is viewed as more than just a platform to broaden the minds of both young and old. It has become one of the go-to destinations for families to spend quality time learning and having fun together. Importantly, KLESF provides the younger generation a platform for them to discover their talent and abilities. It is vital to have these talents and abilities nurtured and cultivated properly to encourage them to contribute their ideas and innovations. Essentially, their very talent could be very well generating solutions for a more sustainable world, and adding in the collaborations from various organisations only make the possibility a reality.

Academically, local and international symposiums, forums, and conferences are actively organised by UTAR, in collaboration with other researchers. The university believes that research plays an important role in achieving SDGs while promoting active discussion among researchers for more sustainable outcomes.

For instance, the International Conference on Tropical Biodiversity 2018, in collaboration with South China Botanical Garden (SCBG) (Chinese Academy of Science), Bogor Agricultural University, Society for Conservation Biology, Malaysian Society of Applied Biology, Rimba Ilmu (University of Malaya), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, University Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) MICET, The University of Nottingham Malaysian Campus, Monash University Malaysia, Yayasan Bina Lestari, and Pulau Banding Foundation, has shed light on the importance of a stable biodiversity ecosystem, as well as the importance of having the right understanding to manage the ecosystem more sustainably for the benefit of all.

Goal 13: Climate Action and Goal 15: Life on Land

The conference also achieved Goal 13 – Climate Action, which aims at taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impact, and Goal 15 – Life on Land, which aims to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

It was highlighted in the conference that biodiversity is equally important to ecotourism, as it provides different resources for livelihood, culture and food security. In fact, unsustainable development may cause an imbalance in the ecosystem, thus resulting in the loss of many precious biodiversities that are important to mankind’s wellbeing. Therefore, the sustainability of biodiversity and conservation are needed to enable humans and nature to live sustainably.

UTAR’s sustainable efforts and achievements continue to strengthen the role of education as an important key to ensuring sustainability is well understood, taught, practised and achieved in the long term. In all its efforts, UTAR continues to strive and ensure that students’ success benefits not only themselves but also to the society and environment in sustainable ways while ensuring a brighter future for the next generation.