KUALA LUMPUR: The government will continue to support and encourage all higher education institutions to explore and establish new fields of study, including economics, welfare and sustainability studies.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said this was imperative to develop a globally competitive higher education ecosystem and to position Malaysia as a nation that upholds and respects knowledge.
He also said such a move was necessary, particularly in the context of the current technology and rapid pace of the digital age.
"We must collectively seek the best and most effective ways to produce knowledge and expertise that can celebrate the efforts and creativity of our local people toward social progress and sustainable culture.
"This is even more important in the context of the advantages of technology and the rapid pace of the digital age. (And) I believe all of this can be harnessed to improve society and the nation.
"In this context, I want to assure that the unity government under my leadership will continue to support and encourage all higher education institutions, particularly in the effort to explore and establish new fields of study, including economics, welfare and sustainability," he said.
Anwar's speech text was read by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin at the 15th National Academic Award ceremony here, today.
Present was Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mohamad Yusof Apdal.
The expansion and broadening of knowledge, said Anwar, must also be a national agenda that is free from politics and self-interest.
He also called out for local academicians to play a role in leading the wisdom and the nation's way of thinking, particularly in advancing the Malaysia Madani concept as a national spirit that calls for virtue.
Anwar highlighted that the Madani concept can only progress as the way forward if it is embraced by society as a whole rather than being upheld solely by certain small groups.
"With this awareness, I believe we all can ask who else is more qualified to promote and drive this good value transformation into our society than academicians and intellectuals?
"Whether in public or private higher learning institutions, polytechnics, community colleges, teacher training institutes, matriculation colleges, training institutes, and vocational colleges, I see academicians as leaders of intellectual society.
"However, the role of being leaders of intellectual society comes with another crucial responsibility, which is to sow excellent values in the hearts of our people.
"Hence, Malaysia Madani will only become a reality and achieve its goals when the community as a whole understands and embraces the six noble values that support this aspiration."
At the same time, the prime minister also expressed his gratitude towards local academicians for their contributions, which extend beyond local boundaries.
"Considering the challenging times we are facing, there must be an awareness that most of the problems we face today are interconnected.
"It demands simultaneous actions in various fields and sectors, and these actions should begin with the knowledge that is continually improved among academicians.
"Hence, I acknowledge and am proud of the contributions of our academicians, which extend beyond local boundaries. Some of our lecturers have become public scholars who share their knowledge, expertise, and expertise internationally and with foreign nations."