| Syazwani Hj Rosli |
THE new intake of students of Universiti Teknologi Brunei’s (UTB) 2018-2019 academic year needs to strive hard in achieving their full potential while embarking on their academic journey at the institution and beyond, as this scholastic foundation will have a defining impact on their future careers.
Highlighting this was UTB Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman, delivering her speech yesterday in welcoming 525 new students for the new academic year in a ceremony at the university’s multi-purpose hall.
According to Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah, of the new batch of students, 339 are undergraduates while 186 are enrolled in postgraduate programmes, adding that this year UTB is receiving the inaugural batch of students for its new faculty, the School of Design.
She advised the students to grab the opportunity to learn and acquire new knowledge during their years at UTB, and to develop soft skills and enhance their personal attributes to prepare for life after university and in the workplace.
The vice chancellor also explained UTB’s motto: ‘Scholarly, Piety and Innovative’.
“Scholarly is defined as having or showing knowledge, learning or devotion to academic pursuits. This is what being a university student is all about,” she said.
“Piety is defined as the quality of being religious. This is dedicated to our Muslim students, for them to be always in istiqamah. We strongly encourage students to perform and make time for prayers. We also hope for our students to be instilled with Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) values.”
She continued, “Being innovative is about developing a culture of inquisitiveness from the very beginning, and this can be applied in your study especially when you are doing your undergraduate final year projects or postgraduate theses. I hope that the motto can be used as a moral imperative for us all at UTB.”
Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah also emphasised the importance of giving back to society and how UTB has always been responsive to the needs of the community.
As a mark of UTB’s commitment to the local communities, Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah says that the university will be introducing a breadth module to replace the existing one in January 2019.
“The module will involve more integrated learning and include four elements, including environment, leadership, technopreneurship and social innovation. It will place emphasis on team learning, collaboration, innovation and community,” she said.
The vice chancellor advised the new students to be well-rounded during their studies and be not afraid of partaking in extra-curricular activities (ECA) and volunteer work.
“A good student will always be able to exercise work-life balance. Areas in life other than work or study can be – but not limited to – personal interests, as well as family and social or leisure activities,” she said.
The event also saw a mass oath-taking by the students led by Awangku Md Haziq Dzulfadhly Mubarak bin Pengiran Haji Md Amir Ilham.