Bring your own container and pay as you like
Since 2017 till now
Concept of pay as you like, to provide free food/ non profit food for underprivileged student whom purchase from Act of Kindness (AOK) & Gerobok Rezeki (GR) project, the project was established in 2017 until now, with the formation of volunteer group to ease the operation. In addition, food container and food packaging are not provided to minimize and reduce usage of one-off plastic / paper packaging. Students are required to bring their own container to place their purchase. This programme has been an ongoing event every year till now.
UMT USES ITS RESEARCH FINDINGS TO IMPROVE SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN SEDILI
Monday, 28/08/2023
Befitting its slogan “University for Society”, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) has once again organized an activity involving a community. The event which included the release of mud crab seeds was held at Sedili Kecil, Kota Tinggi. Higher Education Minister Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin officiated the programme.
The programme was held in response to a strong recommendation by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) that each research conducted by universities needs to be shared with stakeholders that comprise students, society, and industries.
A similar programme held earlier in May in Kota Tinggi received positive feedback from the community. The success encouraged UMT to continue organizing such activities, this time a programme that saw about 10,000 mud crab seeds being released into Sedili Kecil river.
The programme can be impactful in that it can potentially help the local fishermen increase their catch and help increase the population of mud crabs at Sedili Kecil so that their number is sustainable in the future.
Higher education institutions should not just implement activities at nearby localities but need to see the potential at other areas, said Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled. MOHE emphasizes MADANI economic elements that consist of Talent Preparation, Research and Innovation, Knowledge Transfer, and Internationalization to strengthen Malaysia’s higher education.
The programme held in collaboration with MOHE is part of UMT’s social responsibility initiative that aims to improve social wellbeing. The aim can be achieved through activities that focus on strengthening the society, research relevant to social issues, and collaborations with other sectors to create positive impacts, such as the programme held today.
UMT Vice Chancellor Professor Dato’ Dr. Mazlan Abd Ghaffar said UMT stresses on three main roles, namely generation of new knowledge through impactful research, dissemination of new knowledge through academic programmes, and transfer of research-based knowledge to help solve problems in society.
He said the effort by UMT can help generate a source of income for Sedili Kecil community and nearby areas. The university shows high commitment to transform the lives of fishermen through research and knowledge transfer activities. This is part of UMT’s contributions to socioeconomic development of the fishermen community in Sedili. It is hoped the programme can lead to sustainable fisheries industry in the area.
PIONEER PROJECT MMT GENERATES INCOME FOR VISION IMPAIRED COMMUNITY
Monday, 13/11/2023
Ten individuals with disability were presented with Terengganu sweet melon (MMT) planting kits after they have successfully completed a short-term course organized by Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)’s researcher.
Crop science researcher at the Faculty of Fisheries and Food Science, UMT, Ts. Dr. Wan Zaliha Wan Sembok, said the knowledge transfer project is part of UMT’s ongoing effort to help vision impaired community generate a side income.
“Seeing the hardship and challenges they face to carry on with their lives, we worked with several agencies and NGOs to establish the Blind Planters project to help them generate their own income within the constraints of their ability and movement.
“We introduced a braille module of MMT planting method to them to facilitate the transfer of theoretical knowledge.
She said each participant was assisted by the family members when the planting activities took place at each participant’s location.
According to Dr. Zaliha, the pioneer project managed to produce 150 melons with an estimated return of RM1500.
“An average weight of each melon is 1.3 kg. Each melon season lasts three months and an average side income total is RM500 a month.
She added that the initiative is a continuation from a knowledge transfer project series that have been implemented to improve the quality of life of the B40 group.
“We have carried out various other projects and managed to change the economic level of the target groups. These projects include hydroponic vegetable farming, and farming of mushrooms, tomatoes, cherries, strawberries, salad and others.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Terengganu’s Society of the Blind (SBM) Mohd Imranfaisal Zulkifli expressed his gratitude towards the assistance provided by UMT and other agencies involved.
“Alhamdulillah, thank you to UMT for sharing the knowledge with people like us. We are still able to plant sweet melons with help from family members. We also thank Hasanah Foundation for the financial contribution totaling RM250,000 for the preparation of sweet melon planting kits and we will try our best to improve our quality of life,” he said.
