STARS Project lends exposure to campus life

The three-way collaborative effort between Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) and selected schools and industries – dubbed Projek Kilauan Mutiara STARS, or loosely translated as the Sparkling Pearl Project (STARS) – has given the opportunities to selected secondary school students to experience life as an undergraduate on campus.

Jointly conducted by UMP InSmartive Club and BP Petronas Acetyls Sdn. Bhd. (BPPA), in collaboration with the Department of Student Affairs & Alumni (JHEPA), the project was held at the university’s Pekan campus on April 20, 2019. 

The three-day programme saw 30 undergraduate facilitators from UMP InSmartive Club share their on-campus life experience with 51 secondary school students, comprising Forms 1 to 5, from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Dato’ Engku Bijaya Sura (SMKDEBS) from Dungun, Terengganu. 

Among the many programmes in which both facilitators and students actively participated were campus tours to the university’s library, Global Classroom as well as to the laboratories at the Faculty of Electrical & Electronics Engineering (FKEE) and the Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (FKMP).   

“The implementation of all modules and activities lined up during the three-day programme, underpinned the three main objectives we set out to achieve under this STARS Project – namely, exposure to campus life, road-mapping of academic, career and life, and the enhancement of teamwork among the participants – all of which were carried out in a university life ambience,” remarked Project Manager Muhamad Aiman Suhaizi, who is also a freshman at the Faculty of  Engineering Technology (FTeK).

One particular programme that truly intrigued the participants was the Hi Professor! slot, where the Deputy Dean of Academic & Student Affair of FKEE, Associate Professor Dr. Hamdan Daniyal, shared his life-long experience on academic and career accomplishments. 

During such slot, the Deputy Dean also emphasized the importance of having good command of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects among the secondary school students.

Meanwhile, BPPA Manager of Human Resources & Administration, Shamsul Raji Jaafar – who was present at the closing ceremony held at the Banquet Hall, Tun Abdul Razak Chancellery at UMP Pekan Campus – highlighted that all of the 51 secondary school students came from the B40 family group, as beneficiaries of the many corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives conducted by BPPA in the Dungun district. 

During the closing ceremony, Muhammad Haikal Danial Mahadi, 13, and Nurfaizah Insyirah Mohamad Faizol, 13, both in Form 1 at SMKDEBS were selected as the Best Participants of the STARS project.

Also present were SMKDEBS Senior Assistant of Administration, Che Mohd Yusri Che Hashim; UMP InSmartive Club Advisor (who is also the Head of Research at the Vice-Chancellor’s Office), Wan Nazrul Helmy Wan Mohd Zain; and InSmartive Club President, Muhammad Aizat Azed.

Moving forward, UMP InSmartive Club, BPPA and SMKDEBS have collectively agreed to coordinate a follow-up programme – one workshop on the technics to tackle the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination papers on May 3-4 at the university’s Pekan Campus – in collaboration with the district’s Council of Counseling Teachers.