The “SIYUAN Scholarship” (思源奖助学金) worth RM428,071 was provided by the Malaysian Social Entrepreneurs Foundation (MSEF) to UTAR students who required financial aid at the MSEF SIYUAN Mock Cheque Presentation and Scholarship Awards Presentation Ceremony. The ceremony was organised at UTAR Gallery, Kampar Campus on 24 November 2022 to honour MSEF’s continuous support to UTAR.

Since December 2021, UTAR has been in an official partnership with MSEF via the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU). The phrase “SIYUAN” (思源) in mandarin can be translated as “giving back”. It signifies the grateful yet resolved spirit of MSEF to give back to society by helping financially-disadvantaged students in pursuing academic excellence. The “SIYUAN Scholarship” by MSEF seeks to address three areas of concern, namely educational support, charity incubation and poverty alleviation. The scholarship programme offers at least RM2.5million per year to six non-government colleges and universities.

The “SIYUAN Scholarship” mock cheque was presented to UTAR representative, Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong by MSEF Executive Director Dr Aki Chong Li Chin and MSEF Committee Member Calvin Chung Tet Chee.

A scholarship award presentation ceremony was then held to celebrate the 13 UTAR students who received the “SIYUAN Scholarship” awards. The scholarship agreements were signed by the student recipients under the witness of Dr Aki Chong and Prof Choong. To commemorate the meaningful moment, Dr Aki Chong and Calvin Chung handed over the scholarship award certificates to the students.

In response to the generosity of MSEF, Prof Choong said, “Every time we meet Dr Aki Chong, surprises await not only for our university, but also our hospital and students. I am very happy to see that MSEF and UTAR have a common goal and vision not only in providing scholarships or financial assistance to students, but also in cultivating the spirit and culture of helping students. Both MSEF and UTAR encourage students and recipients of scholarships to be involved in the community and voluntary projects. UTAR is a not-for-profit university; we are very happy to be able to work with many organisations to provide loans and scholarships as this is part of UTAR’s commitment in giving back to the society.”

He also shared his conflicting but delightful moments with the recipients, saying, “During our interview and screening process for the scholarship, we were constantly in touch with the scholarship recipients. Everyone has their own stories, making them deserving of this scholarship. However, the scholarships were not enough. So, we had no choice but to reduce the number of scholarship recipients. For all the selected recipients, I am very happy that all of you can be here today; thanks to MSEF and your family members who have supported you. If you have the capability, do give back to society in any form of assistance.”

One of the student recipients, Tio Zhe Wei, voiced her gratitude by sharing her appreciation towards MSEF and UTAR. “There are three members in my family— my mother, brother and me. My mother, as a babysitter, has been taking care of children for more than 20 years. My brother is still pursuing his tertiary education and he is currently in his final year. PTPTN loan alone was insufficient to cover both my tuition and living expenses. However, receiving the scholarship helps my mother to relieve her burden of financing my living expenses since her income is very low. It has lightened my financial burden; now I can focus on the most important aspect in school — learning,” said Tio.

Brimming with motivation, she aspires to be an individual who can help students like her in the future. “I promise I will study hard and eventually give back to the community. I hope, one day, I will be able to help students to achieve their goals just as MSEF and UTAR have helped me,” stated Tio.

Also present to witness the occasion were Faculty of Science (FSc) Dean Assoc Prof Dr Lim Tuck Meng, Faculty of Business and Finance (FBF) Dean Assoc Prof Dr Au Yong Hui Nee, Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology (FEGT) Deputy Dean for Student Development and Industrial Training Dr Tan Kok Tat, Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (FICT) Head of Programme (Master in Data Management and Analytics and Postgraduate Diploma in Data Management and Analytics) Dr Aun Yichiet, MSEF staff, parents of recipients, UTAR staff and students.

As the ceremony came to an end, a group photography session was conducted.