Curtin Malaysia lecturers appointed to National Higher Education Panel

Miri – 19 May 2017 – Valerie Velina Nagreg and Ariffin bin Mohamad, lecturers in culture and language with the Department of Culture and Language Studies, Faculty of Humanities at Curtin University, Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia), have been appointed to the Ministry of Higher Education’s National Higher Education Panel (Jawatankuasa Kursus Pengajian Malaysia Institusi Pengajian Tinggi) for two years until 2018.

Curtin Malaysia Pro Vice-Chancellor, President and Chief Executive Professor Jim Mienczakowski said their appointments are a great honour for Curtin Malaysia and were made in recognition of their contributions to the development and success of two compulsory units or Matapelajaran Pengajian Umum (MPU) under theMinistry’s Malaysian Studies Course (Kursus Pengajian Malaysia): Tamadun Islam Tamadun Asia (TITAS) and Malaysian Studies.

Professor Mienczakowski added that the appointments are significant due to the fact that only 12 panellists are selected from all the public and private tertiary institutions and Curtin Malaysia is privileged to have two of its academics appointed.

The panel is a platform formed to assist the Ministry of Higher Education in the implementation of the Malaysian Studies units compulsory for all tertiary students. Its focus is on curriculum and guidelines and it provides input, advice and feedback to the Ministry on the implementation of the units in tertiary institutions.

In her letters of appointment to Valerie and Ariffin recently, Senior Director of the Ministry’s Department of Higher Education Datin Paduka Ir Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir said she hoped they will give their full commitment and dedication as members of the panel towards the advancement of higher education in Malaysia.

Ariffin has also been given the honour of sharing the Malaysian Studies Unit’s best practices in in the delivery of the MPU units at Curtin Malaysia at a training workshop for TITAS, Ethnic Relations and Malaysian Studies course instructors from Sarawak and Sabah next week at the invitation of the Academic Development Administration Section (BBPA) of the Ministry of Higher Education.

The Department of Culture and Language Studies at Curtin Malaysia comprises a dedicated team of lecturers focusing on two areas, the teaching of the English language to school leavers and undergraduates and the delivery of the MPU units.

Valerie Velina Nagreg.

Ariffin bin Mohamad.