JOHOR BAHRU, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN) Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar will become the first Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) graduate to receive a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) through the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning for Qualifications (APEL.Q) pathway at the university's 70th convocation ceremony this Saturday.
UTM Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mohd Shafry Mohd Rahim said Shamsul Azri was among 7,369 graduates who would be celebrated at the convocation, to be held from Nov 14 to 19 at Dewan Sultan Iskandar, UTM Johor Bahru.
The six-day ceremony, comprising 10 conferment sessions, will be graced by Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, in her capacity as UTM Chancellor, and Che' Puan Mahkota Khaleeda Johor, who is UTM Pro-Chancellor.
“He is among the first cohort of APEL.Q participants and achieved excellent results and merit in his oral examination (viva voce) on Aug 30,” he told a press conference in conjunction with UTM's 70th convocation here today.
Mohd Shafry said UTM also planned to extend the APEL.Q pathway to other programmes, including the Doctor of Education, Master of Educational Management and Administration, and Master of Project Management, subject to approval from the Department of Higher Education and the Ministry of Higher Education.
He said the pathway reflected the university's commitment to recognising learning acquired through professional experience and expanding educational opportunities for people at different stages of life.
Meanwhile, two other UTM Pro-Chancellors, Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim and Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Mohd Zulkifli Mohd Ghazali, would also preside over conferment sessions during the ceremony.
Of the total graduates, 680 had completed doctoral studies, 1,614 master's programmes, 4,228 bachelor's degree programmes, 778 diploma programmes and 69 executive diplomas and other qualifications.
A total of 1,176 graduates were international students from 48 countries, with China recording the highest number at 459, followed by Indonesia (107) and Iraq (86).
At the same ceremony, former UTM Pro-Chancellor Tan Sri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor will receive an Honorary Doctor of Environmental Engineering in recognition of his contributions to advancing forestry research and environmental conservation.
UTM will also confer the title of Professor Emeritus on Academician Dr Halimaton Hamdan, a former professor at the Faculty of Science and recipient of the 2009 Merdeka Award, while Dr Azlan Abdul Rahman, a former UTM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development), will receive the title of Emeritus Professor.
The Royal Education Award will be presented to Ahmad Adam Ismail Abd Hafi and See Li Fang, while Fatin Syahirah Asmawi will receive the Tun Fatimah Gold Medal Award for Excellence.
Mohd Shafry said UTM had also recorded a 100 per cent graduate employment rate for three consecutive years and received the Graduate Employability Excellent Performance Award from the Ministry of Higher Education.
-- BERNAMA