Prof Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi
KUCHING (July 27): Sarawak’s iconic water taxis, the ‘perahu tambang’ or ‘penambang’, will be the subject of a learning programme involving Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and Japan’s Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT).
The Old Kuching Smart Heritage (OKSHe)-Unimas-SIT Global Problem-Based Learning Programme 2021 focus on improvements to the ‘perahu tambang’ and betterment of the livelihood of the target community.
OKSHe is an initiative under the Sarawak Digital Economy Framework 2018-2020.
With the theme “Solutions That Cross Frontiers: The Sustainable Story of Perahu Tambang”, the programme will involve local communities from Kampung Empila and Kampung Semerah Padi in Kota Samarahan and Kuching.
Students from SIT will be exposed to the Sarawakian heritage and culture whilst working together with Unimas students to solve engineering-related obstacles faced by the local community.
Unimas said in a statement that the programme was a joint collaboration among the Faculty of Engineering, Unimas, OKSHe and SIT.
It said its partnership with SIT was established in 2011 with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and was reinforced in 2015 with the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MoA).
“Since then, a number of programmes and activities have been organised between the two institutions, including gPBL, which is an ongoing annual programme. It is a student mobility programme initiated in 2015 with the goal of nurturing students’ problem-solving skills by exposing them to real life challenges.
“Every year, SIT welcomes students from Unimas for the credited mobility programme and Unimas also receives a group of SIT students for the same programme,” it said.
Previously, gPBL programmes were conducted face-to-face.
This year, unrestrained by the pandemic, this strong partnership expands the programme to get in touch with the community in a more interactive and comprehensive manner, albeit on a virtual platform.
Unimas vice chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi said as a community-driven university, Unimas is proud to be an institution that could provide beneficial platforms to its students and partners to identify and unravel real-life problems faced by the community and to train students in applying their knowledge to find the best solutions.
SIT president Prof Jun Yamada complimented the steadfast relationship between Unimas and SIT.
“With a shared aspiration to give back to the community, more future collaborations can be anticipated between Unimas, SIT, and OKSHe,” the statement concluded.