11,010 GRADUATES CONFERRED DEGREES AT 52ND UKM CONVOCATION

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 (Bernama) -- A total of 11,010 graduates received their degrees at the 52nd Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Convocation which began yesterday until Dec 1.

The convocation ceremony at the Tun Abdul Razak Chancellor Hall, which will be held in 15 sessions, is celebrating a total of 4,409 graduates in Bachelor's Degrees, Master's Degrees (2,549), Doctor of Philosophy  (469), Postgraduate Diplomas (3,393) and Specialist Doctors (190).

UKM vice-chancellor, Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Ekhwan Toriman in a statement said this brought the UKM alumni network to 240,462 as of this year.

"The convocation ceremony yesterday began with the opening by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir who is also the Chancellor of UKM," he said.

Apart from that, he added, this UKM's convocation ceremony also celebrated the first graduates of two Postgraduate Diploma programmes, namely the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (DPLI) programme, totalling 3,227, and the Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Embryology (PDEK).

He said the DPLI programme, which started in 2022, has now reached its fifth cohort with its implementation being carried out flexibly, involving online and physical sessions, and is implemented throughout the school holidays.

At the same time, he said the PDEK, which was introduced last year, is the only programme in Malaysia so far that trains Embryology Officers in a formal and structured manner.

“The PDEK programme was created because the number of applications from couples to obtain in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment is increasing every year,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohd Ekhwan said that this convocation ceremony also saw the awarding of an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy to the chief executive officer of the Qatar Regional Group Company, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Khalifa Abdul Aziz Al-Thani, who is also the chairman of the UKM Qatar Board of Trustees.

Another recipient of the same degree was the President of the National Assembly and Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand, Wan Muhamad Noor Matha.

At the same time, three UKM academic figures, namely Dr Rahmah Ismail, Dr R. Wickneswari and Datuk Dr Wan Ramli Wan Daud were awarded the title of Professor Emeritus in recognition of their services in creating excellence for UKM and the country through their respective fields of expertise.

In addition, the ceremony also celebrated two recipients of the Royal Education Award along with six recipients of other major university awards.

Mohd Ekhwan said this convocation is also enlivened by the organisation of the Convocation Carnival which is taking place at Dataran Panggung Seni and is operated entirely by UKM students as an initiative of the Student Empowerment agenda.

“Apart from honing the entrepreneurial potential among students, this programme is also part of the university's generation efforts and main agenda which needs to be implemented in an integrated manner with the involvement of all parties,” the statement said.

-- BERNAMA