A QC Project Engineer at Serba Dinamik Holdings Berhad, Qamarul Fikry, 28, a proud Tabung Amanah Zakat UTP alumni recalls how much a timely intervention meant to him.
“I really appreciated it. My father's meagre monthly pension allowance as a former palace security guard was barely enough to support me and my siblings' studies," shares Qamarul.
“After my diploma, I worked for a short period before pursuing my degree. From what I've heard, UTP boasts a good track record of producing highly sought-after graduates in the oil and gas industry. For me, this was like a job promise. In addition, this made joining UTP so desirable as I've always wanted to go into the oil and gas industry," he says.
Qamarul, who is a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Applied Physics graduate at UTP says a timely intervention by a TAZU official in his second semester was a vital turning point in his study.
He says, “I was working part time in my second semester to make ends meet." Consequently, his results dropped off as he had to juggle study and work at the same time. He says, “I was working part time as a graphic designer at a printing company from 4pm to 10pm everyday at Bandar Seri Iskandar. It was really tiring because I faced a tight deadline on a daily basis to finish my clients' designs."
“Thankfully, the student advisor found out about this and called me up to see him. When I met him, he talked me into quitting my job. He told me I should just focus on my study," he says.
From the assurance given by the TAZU official, Qamarul says, “He told me that he will help me. They asked me to a write a letter to TAZU about my financial difficulty and said they would arrange help."
Thankfully, the help allowed Qamarul to breathe relief. By and large, the assistance had done a great deal to help Qamarul finish his degree with flying colors.
“TAZU and Yayasan UTP (YUTP) have helped me with my student fees and pocket money. This really eased my financial burden because PTPTN did not cover my university fees wholly."
“The good thing about the financial assistance provided by TAZU is, for Aidilfitri, they gave us 'Duit Raya'. That was really helpful. I received RM200 of Duit Raya every year. I gave my mother RM100 for our Hari Raya preparation and kept the remaining RM100 for my study expenses," he says.
Despite his family's financial constraint back then, nonetheless, Qamarul was adamant to join UTP after university officials had told him that there were various sources of financial aids available at the university. He says, “I was told not to worry about finances at the university's education camp. The student advisor had told me that they could provide support to those who are in need."
He says, “I had a good time during my study at UTP. The world class environment and diversity have really supported my study." In addition, according to Qamarul, the university's career-connected learning approach has greatly served his studying needs. “During my study, my department took us to Miri, Sarawak for a study visit to learn about magnitude wave. Plus the equipment here are first class, I remember my Head of HOD Dr. Hanita Daud prepared everything we needed for our lab work."
“It's good because in the industry, many focal persons in the oil and gas industry are UTP graduates. My current employer for example, hires many UTP graduates because they have become familiar with the quality of UTP graduates."
Indeed, Qamarul is another prime example of UTP's institutional support and profound industry collaboration. From the work we do, we foster long-term relationships with our global social-impact partners to prepare our students, people and researchers as global citizens.
As a leading university in engineering, science and technology, our graduates are driven to exceed their professional objectives and contribute towards overcoming capability deficit across all sectors and industries.
Published on 4 June 2020
