Old Malaysian educational links to Otago University
Published on: Monday, March 16, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: The relationship between the University of Otago, New Zealand's first university, and Malaysian students is actually very old.The university's first woman Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne, who is on her maiden visit to Sabah, said educational links started obviously with the Colombo Plan programme that started in the fifties and lasted until the eighties.Established in 1869, the University of Otago is located in Dunedin, regarded as New Zealand's education capital.
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Today, the oldest university in New Zealand is regularly ranked in the top 15 most beautiful campuses in the world. More significantly, it is ranked in the top 3pc of universities worldwide in terms of academic performance. Some 3,352 students from 98 countries, including Malaysia, are living in 15 residential colleges. Of the 300 students from Malaysia, 20 are from Sabah.According to Prof. Hayne, there are 90,000 alumni from the university in 140 countries, including Malaysia."The Malaysian Students Association (MSA) in Otago University has now just celebrated its 52nd anniversary just like your newspaper (Daily Express). It's the same age as your newspaper."Our alumni have risen to positions of importance like these two gentlemen – University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) Vice-Chancellor, Prof Datuk Dr Ghazally Ismail and Datuk Kamal Quadra (former State Education Director cum member of UCSF Board of Directors) - who are Colombo Plan scholars.
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"Now they begin to give back in terms of trying to find ways – unique opportunities for us (University of Otago) and unique opportunities for them (UCSF). And that's part of the family nature of Otago. We are all linked so one big family."Their love for Otago University has lasted throughout their lifetime so much so that when they have new opportunities in their professional life, they warmly welcome us in. And the relationship becomes very close very quickly because it is as if we are old friends even if we have just met because we share this common experience of Otago ," she told this writer when interviewed at the office of Prof. Dr Ghazally.
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Kamal graduated in the late sixties while Prof. Dr Ghazally, who married a New Zealander, completed his studies in 1972. Other Colombo Plan scholars from Sabah who studied at the University of Otago in the sixties included President of the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS), Datuk Nancy Ho, and her accountant spouse, John Ho, educationist cum ex-principal Casey Leong, Quadra's wife Datin Rahimah Ahmad (operator of Sunshine Nursery School and Sunshine Kindergarten), former State Pharmacist Chin Chee Vui, and two other successful pharmacists, Y.K. Lee and Su Si Feng.Among those scholars also from Sabah but studied at other New Zealand universities were Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, former State Attorney-General Tan Sri Herman Luping and former Malaysian Ambassador to Cambodia, Datuk Pengiran Mohd Hussein.Prof. Hayne was accompanied by Alison Finigan (Internal Engagement Manager for Development & Alumni Relations), Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) Professor Helen Nicholson and Prof. Phil Bishop, one of Otago's most renowned scientists and an expert on frogs."He will be actively involved in the collaborative programme (with UCSF). He loves frogs. He is here (Sabah) looking for frogs," she quipped.The foursome are in Sabah for the Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding Between the University of Otago and University College Sabah Foundation at the Magellan Sutera Hotel on Saturday night. "That is one of the reasons why we are here right now. One of the first opportunities that we will be working on are opportunities for combining teaching and research around issues involving the environment. "One of the important foresight of the University of Otago is a multi-concept around looking after the world. We want to prepare our students not only to be great doctors and lawyers and accountants but we also want them to be great citizens."And one of the things that being a great citizen involves is understanding our human impact on the environment, and one of the foresight of this new University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) as well, is about environmental issues," Prof Hayne explained, adding that it was Prof Dr Ghazally who mooted the idea when asked on the opportunities for academic collaboration with Otago University where Sabah is concerned.She further said that Prof Dr Ghazally's undergraduate work at the university was seminal in terms on who he would become as a person."What happened while he was at the University of Otago has really shaped who he is to become. And so now, as an alumnus, he is reaching back to us to provide us with the opportunities for teaching and research," she added.On the proposed collaboration between the university and UCSF, Prof. Hayne said the initial proposal, and hopefully just one of many, is that "we will work here in this country by bringing our lecturers here and possibly some of our students as well."She continued: "Students from Otago and students from here (Sabah) will be working together for short terms. So that allows our students to come here and experience this part of the world, and some of the unique opportunities around the State's flora and fauna that we would not have access to in New Zealand.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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