Empowering Students Through Senate Involvement
Monday Nov 25th, 2019
**Photo caption: Mohd Azraai Kassim (second from right) presenting the appointment letter to UiTM senate members Muhammad Afiq Hariz Khatem (third from right) and Nurul Fatiha Norsip ( left) with UiTM deputy vice-chancellor (student affairs) Professor Dr Azizan Abdullah (right). Pix by NSTP/Saddam Yusoff
DETERMINED to empower students as transformative agents of change, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) business administration undergraduate Muhammad Afiq Hariz Khatem said that university students should work towards realising the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Muhammad Afiq Hariz, who is also a UiTM Student Representative Council member, was selected as the university’s senate member together with Nurul Fatiha Norsip, the Student Representative Council honorary treasurer, recently.
As senate members, they will have the opportunity to be a part of the decision-making process and be involved in implementing changes.
“I would like to create a movement of socially aware and conscious youths. More specifically, I’m interested to get students involved in SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 13 (climate action), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) which is related to minimum wage, SDG 14 (life below water) and SDG 15 (life on land),” said Muhammad Afiq Hariz, 23.
Helming the position of assistant vice-president (relations and internationalisation) of the Student Representative Council, he shared his plans to get students involved in shaping a sustainable future.
“I look forward to building a strong foundation, first by focusing on SDG 13. This can be achieved through my plan to start an environmental club in UiTM Shah Alam as well as a World Merit UiTM Club with my friends. We will try to make it a trend for students to be concerned about global issues.
“Through this club, a reward system will be set up wherein a merit will be given out for each contribution towards the SDGs. For example, a student can carry out an event that is related to a goal such as ending poverty to gain the reward.
“The accumulated rewards will lead to more opportunities for participating students such as an internship placement overseas,” he added.
The second-year student, who hails from Kuching, Sarawak, notes the huge responsibilities that came with his additional portfolio as a senate member.
“We will be having a senate meeting every month so there must be results. We must come up with changes, but it will take time.”
Muhammad Afiq Hariz also expressed his hopes to propose an increase in student mobility opportunities at the senate meeting.
“It is important for students to participate in internship programmes abroad as they can expose themselves to other cultures and expand their knowledge to the global level.”
For Nurul Fatiha, 25, she is honoured to be acting as the medium between the students and the university.
The law student said: “I look up to the present senate members as they are academicians who have played a part in policy-making — which I look forward to. Everyone agrees that changes have to be made. And part of it has to come from the students themselves.
“I believe we have to be realistic and use our judgement to examine all the issues properly. I will be the students’ voice and fight for them. But there are limitations in certain situations, so we have to provide explanations and get things straightened out.”
Aspiring to be a public prosecutor, Nurul Fatiha looks up to the late politician and lawyer Karpal Singh as her inspiration.
“As conveyed by our vice-chancellor Professor Emeritus Dr Mohd Azraai Kassim previously, being senate members means we have the capacity to speak up and draft policies.
“One of the reasons that both of us were chosen was because we, from the Student Representative Council, are the ones who fight for the students the most. Putting aside our own desires or what other people say about us, we regard the students’ needs with the utmost importance,” added Nurul Fatiha, who is from Pasir Gudang, Johor.
Muhammad Afiq Hariz, who aims to be a successful businessman in the future, added that he is working with student leaders in public and private higher educational institutions to create an avenue for communication and collaborations.
“I believe there exists a gap between public and private university students. We actually can learn a lot from each other, so I would like to use this platform to mobilise students nationwide to work together more.”
With the new position as senate members, both Muhammad Afiq Hariz and Nurul Fatiha are confident that they will be able to manage their time well.
Muhammad Afiq Hariz, who scored a CGPA of 3.70 in the last semester, said: “Even as a Student Representative Council member, I don’t think I have ever been busy enough to the point where it prevents me from studying. To focus on both academics and extra-curricular responsibilities, I just have to find the right balance.”
Nurul Fatiha, who enjoys writing in her free time, added: “Appointed to the senate absolutely demands my time and coping with studies is not easy as an active student. But maintaining a good communication and rapport with my lecturers and friends is the best way to make sure my studies stay on track.”
Effective July 1, the historical appointment marks the first time UiTM is opening its doors for students to join the highest decision-making body in the institution.
In support of Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik’s call to empower students, Mohd Azraai said that he hopes that the new addition to the university’s 70-member senate will bring the tertiary institution to greater heights.
“(The appointment) is part of the new Malaysia where the Education Ministry wants universities to allow students to be more active in voicing their opinions. The university exists because of students. It is only right that we consult them as the major stakeholders in decision-making.
“In the past, we had made decisions on their behalf and imposed it on them. But I think it is important for us to get their input so that the decisions made are of quality and representative of the various stakeholders in the university,” said Mohd Azraai.
DETERMINED to empower students as transformative agents of change, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) business administration undergraduate Muhammad Afiq Hariz Khatem said that university students should work towards realising the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Muhammad Afiq Hariz, who is also a UiTM Student Representative Council member, was selected as the university’s senate member together with Nurul Fatiha Norsip, the Student Representative Council honorary treasurer, recently.
As senate members, they will have the opportunity to be a part of the decision-making process and be involved in implementing changes.
“I would like to create a movement of socially aware and conscious youths. More specifically, I’m interested to get students involved in SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 13 (climate action), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) which is related to minimum wage, SDG 14 (life below water) and SDG 15 (life on land),” said Muhammad Afiq Hariz, 23.
Helming the position of assistant vice-president (relations and internationalisation) of the Student Representative Council, he shared his plans to get students involved in shaping a sustainable future.
“I look forward to building a strong foundation, first by focusing on SDG 13. This can be achieved through my plan to start an environmental club in UiTM Shah Alam as well as a World Merit UiTM Club with my friends. We will try to make it a trend for students to be concerned about global issues.
“Through this club, a reward system will be set up wherein a merit will be given out for each contribution towards the SDGs. For example, a student can carry out an event that is related to a goal such as ending poverty to gain the reward.
“The accumulated rewards will lead to more opportunities for participating students such as an internship placement overseas,” he added.
The second-year student, who hails from Kuching, Sarawak, notes the huge responsibilities that came with his additional portfolio as a senate member.
“We will be having a senate meeting every month so there must be results. We must come up with changes, but it will take time.”
Muhammad Afiq Hariz also expressed his hopes to propose an increase in student mobility opportunities at the senate meeting.
“It is important for students to participate in internship programmes abroad as they can expose themselves to other cultures and expand their knowledge to the global level.”
For Nurul Fatiha, 25, she is honoured to be acting as the medium between the students and the university.
The law student said: “I look up to the present senate members as they are academicians who have played a part in policy-making — which I look forward to. Everyone agrees that changes have to be made. And part of it has to come from the students themselves.
“I believe we have to be realistic and use our judgement to examine all the issues properly. I will be the students’ voice and fight for them. But there are limitations in certain situations, so we have to provide explanations and get things straightened out.”
Aspiring to be a public prosecutor, Nurul Fatiha looks up to the late politician and lawyer Karpal Singh as her inspiration.
“As conveyed by our vice-chancellor Professor Emeritus Dr Mohd Azraai Kassim previously, being senate members means we have the capacity to speak up and draft policies.
“One of the reasons that both of us were chosen was because we, from the Student Representative Council, are the ones who fight for the students the most. Putting aside our own desires or what other people say about us, we regard the students’ needs with the utmost importance,” added Nurul Fatiha, who is from Pasir Gudang, Johor.
Muhammad Afiq Hariz, who aims to be a successful businessman in the future, added that he is working with student leaders in public and private higher educational institutions to create an avenue for communication and collaborations.
“I believe there exists a gap between public and private university students. We actually can learn a lot from each other, so I would like to use this platform to mobilise students nationwide to work together more.”
With the new position as senate members, both Muhammad Afiq Hariz and Nurul Fatiha are confident that they will be able to manage their time well.
Muhammad Afiq Hariz, who scored a CGPA of 3.70 in the last semester, said: “Even as a Student Representative Council member, I don’t think I have ever been busy enough to the point where it prevents me from studying. To focus on both academics and extra-curricular responsibilities, I just have to find the right balance.”
Nurul Fatiha, who enjoys writing in her free time, added: “Appointed to the senate absolutely demands my time and coping with studies is not easy as an active student. But maintaining a good communication and rapport with my lecturers and friends is the best way to make sure my studies stay on track.”
Effective July 1, the historical appointment marks the first time UiTM is opening its doors for students to join the highest decision-making body in the institution.
In support of Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik’s call to empower students, Mohd Azraai said that he hopes that the new addition to the university’s 70-member senate will bring the tertiary institution to greater heights.
“(The appointment) is part of the new Malaysia where the Education Ministry wants universities to allow students to be more active in voicing their opinions. The university exists because of students. It is only right that we consult them as the major stakeholders in decision-making.
“In the past, we had made decisions on their behalf and imposed it on them. But I think it is important for us to get their input so that the decisions made are of quality and representative of the various stakeholders in the university,” said Mohd Azraai.
