UKM Graduate Students Need To Understand GTP
By Shahfizal Musa
Pix Hj. Ismail Ibrahim
BANGI, 5 Oct – Graduate students have a bigger role than just obtaining their paper qualifications as they also needed to familiarise themselves with the Government Transformation Plan (GTP) and UKM’s role in the GTP.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International Affairs) Datuk Dr Noor Azlan bin Ghazali speaking at the Post Graduate Outstanding Thesis Award here said as graduate students they are the front liners who will determine the degree of impact that the University will give to the GTP.
He was speaking at the presentation of the awards to 29 postgraduate students from 8 faculties, 1 institute and the Graduate School of Business here yesterday.
The event also marked the launching of Graduate Students Month where 10,908 students embarked on a journey for recognition as experts in their fields.
Dr Azlan urged all the graduate students to not just concentrate on their areas of research but should also try to understand the GTP as that would help steer their research in the right direction.
The challenge of UKM to becoming a full-fledged research university and gaining world recognition rests with the graduate students and their work.
They should then take their research beyond mere academic requirements and think how their work can benefit society, Dr Azlan said. 
Though there are already students from 52 countries studying in UKM, efforts must also be made to bring the best from all over the world to study and do their research in UKM. This will propel the university and its future students to greater heights, he said.
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Students and Alumni Relations), Prof Dr Ir Othman A Karim, Director of the Centre of Graduate Management, Prof Dr Aini Hussain, graduate students and lecturers attended the function. 