The Konsortium Universiti Universitas Borneo (KUUB), under the leadership of Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Campus (UPMKB), formally ratified a collaborative agreement with the Consortium of Eastern Indonesia State Universities (CEISU). The signing event occurred at Hasanuddin University in Makassar, Indonesia. Prof. Dr. Shahrulrazid Sarbini, the campus director of UPMKB and the founding chairman of KUUB, participated in the signing ceremony alongside KUUB's honorary secretaries Dr. Jee Teck Weng and Fakhzan Buang.
Shahrulrazid highlighted that the partnership underscores the significant contributions of UPMKB, the Sarawak Ministry of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development (MEITD), as well as KUUB members, towards enhancing higher education in the Borneo-East Indonesia area. Moreover, the collaboration aims to establish Borneo as a prominent global hub for higher education. “With the cooperation of the government, ministries, universities and industry, it is not impossible for our region to advance in various fields”, he said.
The proposal for this collaboration was put forth by Prof. Dr. Ahmad Alim Bachri, the rector of Lambung Mangkurat University, during the memorandum of understanding (MoU) exchange ceremony of KUUB and the KUUB International Convention (KUUB) 2023. This event took place on November 8th of the previous year in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Ahmad, who serves as the chairman of CEISU, expressed that the partnership between the two consortia will bolster collaboration among all universities in Borneo and Eastern Indonesia, both regions renowned for their rich cultural heritage and breathtaking landscapes. Additionally, the workshop focusing on the Institute of Research and Community Service of Indonesia took place on March 3 at the Unhas Hotel & Convention Center in Tamalanrea, Makassar.
400 delegates from 50 universities and polytechnics in Borneo and Eastern Indonesia participated in the event. Fakhzan stated that the collaboration plans between the two consortiums have been meticulously organized, encompassing agreement documentation, collective deliberations, and the exploration of cooperative potentials across diverse domains.
“During the establishment of KUUB in 2022, the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Sarawak provided significant assistance and strong support to UPMKB in the design of KUUB activities. “The establishment of KUUB involved 16 public and state universities in Borneo, including Brunei, Indonesia, Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
This landmark occasion, observed by several university rectors representing institutions in Eastern Indonesia, signifies a significant stride towards fostering collaboration and fostering innovative endeavors within the academic community across the Borneo and Eastern Indonesia regions. The KUUB delegation was joined by various prominent figures from institutions and agencies; among them were the Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Md Mansur, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of MEITD, Anielia Siam, and the Head of Education Division at MEITD, Donald Henry Nohed.
