PUTRAJAYA: Over 400 staff and students from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) participated in the Putrajaya Idea Festival, which was organised by the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) from 27 to 29 November 2024.
The festival, established as an annual event by the Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, is set to become the hallmark programme for the nation, aimed at enhancing Putrajaya’s status as the City of Ideas for Malaysia and the global community.
The programme features forums, parallel sessions, exhibitions, sales, research innovations, and historical artefacts that represent a concerted effort to disseminate ideas on a large scale while also promoting Malaysia as a centre for intellectual discourse and innovation at both regional and global levels.
The festival aims to bring together leaders, thinkers, experts, policymakers, academics, industry representatives, and the general public on a prestigious platform to engage in discussions and share innovative ideas and solutions addressing the current challenges faced by both the nation and the world.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dato’ Dr Mohd Foad Sakdan, stated that UUM sent staff and students to participate in this programme due to its significant and historic nature in the university’s efforts to produce a greater number of thinkers and idea generators, as well as to enhance their knowledge in innovation and research.
He said that UUM submitted an innovative product—the Dyslexia Incubator—as an entry in the exhibition. The initiative was led by Assoc. Prof. Dr Husniza Husni, Assoc. Prof. Dr Marhaiza Ibrahim, Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr Nor Laily Hashim, Assoc. Prof. Dr Alawiyah Abd Wahab and Dr Nurul Izzah Abd Aziz from the School of Computing, demonstrating UUM’s strong support for the organisation of this festival.
“The festival facilitates the gathering of diverse stakeholders, encompassing not only members of academia but also Malaysians who can contribute their views on an idea,” he said.
He said that this aligns with the intention of the Ministry of Education to establish an idea bank, which will offer visitors to the Putrajaya festival the opportunity to submit ideas, opinions, or views that can benefit both the community and the country.
Prof. Dato’ Dr Mohd Foad Sakdan said that within the programme, 20 UUM international students from Iraq, Yemen, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Palestine were afforded the opportunity to participate in several interesting programmes such as exploration, traditional games, and others, as part of the Meet and Greet with International Students in Malaysia (MAGNET) programme held in conjunction with the festival.
Also present at the event were the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), Prof. Dr Russayani Ismail, and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni), Prof. Dr Ahmad Martadha Mohamed and heads of departments.
