Story by R. Bala, Photos by Tommy Lee Yan Shan
Nilai University (Nilai U) signed a MoU with Outward Bound Trust of Malaysia (Outward Bound) to introduce the latter’s course into Nilai U’s curriculum. Students will be able to elect to do the Outward Bound course as part of their electives. Students in Nilai U degree programmes are required to do three credits in subjects/areas outside the scope of their core subjects. These elective modules include Ethics and Social Responsibility, Public Speaking, Theatre and Acting, and many more.
(Centre) Datuk Dr. Megat Burhainuddin B. Megat Abdul Rahman (Nilai U President and Vice Chancellor) exchanges documents with Dato Seri Ismail Shahudin (Outward Bound President). They are flanked by Shariffah Bahyah Bte Syed Ahmad (extreme left -Nilai U Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences), Prof Dato’ Dr Sothi Rachagan (2nd from left - Nilai U Vice President of Academic Affairs) and Ahmad Fadzil Samsudin (extreme right - Outward Bound Executive Director).
The Outward Bound course has been added to this list because it is designed to develop and strengthen the inner character by allowing students to learn through experience. Students will be introduced to unfamiliar physical environments and face a series of problem-solving tasks designed to push the limits of the individual’s mental and physical capabilities.
“Nilai University’s ethos has always been to produce well-rounded graduates. By that we mean graduates who are academically proficient and socially confident. These are graduates who are not just team players and goal-oriented, but whose characters are underscored by a keen sense of ethics and moral obligations. Our aim is to produce graduates who will be a boon not only to their employers, but to their respective communities. That is the essence of Nilai University’s motto – ‘Enrichment for Life’,” says Datuk Dr. Megat Burhainuddin B. Megat Abdul Rahman, Nilai U President and Vice-Chancellor.
Signing on behalf of Outward Bound was its President, Dato Seri Ismail Shahudin, who urged Nilai U students to follow the lead of their President who had completed the Outward Bound course in his younger days. Ismail also said he was fully committed to supporting this initiative to bring the course to the large student body and noted that Nilai U students should feel at home at the Outward Bound camp since it is also “green and peaceful like Nilai U’s campus”.
A brief demonstration was held on the campus before the MoU signing to give students a sample of the type of obstacle courses they would be facing at utward Bound. Long queues soon formed as Nilai U students faced the challenges with gusto.
Such courses are very much in line with Nilai U’s ethos of ‘Enrichment for Life’ which seeks to build students into academically proficient and socially confident young adults. Mature and self-assured, Nilai U graduates have been much in demand in the various service industries. This is down to the holistic approach that Nilai U adopts towards education.
Equal importance is given to learning in the classrooms and beyond. Every effort is made to give students plenty of opportunities to broaden their horizons via extra-curricular and sporting activities. That is one the reasons why the administrators chose to build the 105-acre campus away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities. Nilai U’s picturesque and peaceful campus has plenty of sporting amenities which include a lakeside jogging track, football and futsal fields, indoor badminton courts, teambuilding obstacle and outdoor gym, as well as an abundance of wide open spaces for the many Outward Bound activities. Nilai U has also been appointed by the Ministry of Higher Education a Pusat Sukan Tumpuan for the sport of fencing.
Nilai U recognises that employers prefer graduates who have undergone extra training in other areas and have the requisite certification. Besides Outward Bound, Nilai U has signed MoUs with organisations such as Dale Carnegie to provide opportunities for students to learn soft skills which are much valued by employers today. Students from particular programmes have recently benefited from tie-ups with professional organisations such as NCL Solutions, Malaysian Food and Beverage Executives Association (MFBEA), Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Mlaysian Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (MAICSA) and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) as they will get industry-recognised certification, relevant training and exemptions from professional examinations from these organisations.
