Royal Address by His Royal Highness the Sultan of Perak
(6 December 2017)
His Royal Highness (HRH) the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfur-Lah delivered his royal address entitled “‘Building a Dynamic and Inclusive Education Ecosystem” on 6 December 2017.
The royal address was held at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) in conjunction with the university’s 20th anniversary celebration.
In his address, HRH Sultan Nazrin Shah said that higher education has still a long way to go towards building a higher education eco-system that is fully capable of adapting to the opportunities and challenges associated with the so-called 4th Industrial Revolution. To prepare students to flourish in the unpredictable environments of the future, such an education system must itself be highly agile and flexible, capable of anticipating and responding to the coming changes.
HRH added that the education system must also be bold and innovative, qualities that go against the grain for tradition-steeped higher education institutions. Such an eco-system must also by definition be comprehensive and systematic. This implies sweeping and radical changes to the current model, which is based on teaching, assessment and ranking methods that were developed in and for a very different era.
This is the second series of the Royal Address by HRH The Sultan of Perak organised by UTP, the first was held in 2008.
The university’s Royal Lecture series is a significant forum for knowledge sharing on various topics and issues including national development, economics, corporate governance and education between the Ruler, the university and the surrounding communities.
The knowledge and information gained from these sessions complement and enhance what UTP students gain within the classroom and from formal education.
As for UTP lecturers and staff and the surrounding community, such sessions will provide them with better insights into national and global issues.
More than 2,000 people attended the event which included Perak Chief Minister YAB Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, Tan Sri Sidek Hassan UTP Pro Chancellor, distinguished guests from the state of Perak, Professor Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib acting UTP Vice Chancellor, UTP Management Committee members, industry practitioners, government officers, PETRONAS staff as well as UTP students and staff.
