SIVAKUMAR, SAFIEE CONFERRED DOCTORATES AT AEU CONVOCATION

SHAH ALAM, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- Former Human Resources Minister Dr V. Sivakumar and Sarawak State Assemblyman cum Tanjung Manis Port Authority Chairman Dr Safiee Ahmad today received their doctorates at Asia e University’s (AeU) 14th Convocation Ceremony held at the Ideal Convention Centre (IDCC). 

Both leaders were among 23 graduates who completed their qualifications through the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning for Qualifications (APEL.Q) pathway, a national initiative pioneered by AeU to formally recognise professional experience as academic credit.

Sivakumar, who graduated with a Doctor of Business Administration, expressed his gratitude to AeU for recognising his expertise and achievements in the field, thus allowing him to translate his knowledge into academic research.

“My studies is on gig economy, it took me four years to complete the whole programme and I dare say here that the cooperation and assistance given by the university is indeed very good, through supervisors who are experts in the field of research and methodology and who have provided assistance from time to time," he told Bernama when met after the ceremony, here today. 

AeU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Noor Raihan Ab Hamid said since its launch in 2020, the APEL.Q pathway has produced a total of 42 graduates to date, including those who received Doctorates in Business Administration as well as Master’s degrees in Communication, Information Technology and Bachelor's programmes in Digital Business and Multimedia.

"The APEL.Q process is different from the conventional process where you have to attend classes, complete assignments, and so on. Instead, we will evaluate based on existing experiential evidence; there must be a portfolio that we will assess to see if it is adequate for the programme they are pursuing, whether it's a Doctorate, Master's or Bachelor's degree, according to their experience and the available evidence.

"We will also conduct a field validation and visit to verify the truth of the stated portfolio so that we can make an assessment and verification, and after that, they will be asked to do a case study, and following that, they will proceed straight to research," she said.

AeU today celebrated the achievements of 1,529 graduates, local and international, comprising 1,230 academic graduates and 299 from AeU’s School of Professional and Executive Education Development (SPEED). 

The convocation also saw the conferment of the title of Emeritus Professor on Datuk Prof Dr Sayed Mushtaq Hussain, a respected development economist and former United Nations expert, in recognition of his decades of contributions to academia, public policy, and human development, as well as his enduring commitment to education and scholarship.

-- BERNAMA