KUALA LUMPUR, The historic opening of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Campus in Doha, Qatar (UKM Qatar) by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday demonstrated the university’s excellence on the international stage, said the UKM University Board of Directors (LPU).
UKM LPU chairman Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Mohamad Abd Razak said he was proud of this achievement as the opening of UKM Qatar has positioned the university alongside renowned institutions worldwide.
“It is not easy for the Qatari government to allow a foreign university to establish its branch campus in Qatar, but UKM succeeded in gaining this trust based on its proven excellence through global rankings,” he said in a statement today.
Mohamad said the Qatari government also offered UKM the opportunity to establish a UKM hospital and medical programmes on its campus.
According to him, the offer to establish a UKM hospital in the Middle Eastern country not only provides UKM experts with the opportunity to practice their expertise
but also offers more students the chance to pursue studies in Qatar, thereby enhancing UKM’s financial independence.
UKM LPU member Datuk Ahmad Shalimin Ahmad Shaffie said the establishment of UKM Qatar proves that UKM is no longer a ‘village university,’ adding that the international recognition and success achieved indicate the international community’s confidence in UKM.
Meanwhile, UKM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Ekwan Toriman expressed gratitude to the Malaysian government, especially the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), for providing significant support in the internationalisation agenda of higher education.
He said the inauguration of the UKM Qatar campus is a firm step and commitment by UKM towards internationalising higher education, aligning with MOHE’s aspiration to enhance the country’s academic position globally.
Through this campus, UKM will offer five degree programmes: Bachelor of Computer Science, Bachelor of Information Technology, Bachelor of Software Engineering, Bachelor of
Actuarial Science, and Bachelor of Accounting, which will commence classes in October.
Students selected are from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Qatar nationals and expatriates in Qatar.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency