3 rd International Conference of Sustainable Higher Education (USM)

I had an opportunity to present my paper in 3 rd International Conference of Higher Education for Sustainable Development and visiting some old Friends and become acquainted with some new friends who are working in the realm of sustainable Higher Education here.

Several people including different scholars from Germany, USA, China, Philippines, Mexico, South America presented their papers. The conference encompassed 4 important instalment.

The first one was the key note speaker, which Prof. Dr. Hans van Ginkel, Prof. Dr. Gerd Michelsen, Dr Zakri A Hamid presented spoke as 3 key note speaker. I myself personaly liked more since he depicted the current situation in a simple philosophy free perspective and also told us that he watches movies with his children which indicates he is strongly committed to his family which most of us are not cause of too much job.

Another issue which took my fancy was employment of a girl who was the correspondent in this programme naming Chin Chin. She was a handicapped girl which was recruited by USM in order to prove how committed USM is to sustainable Campus. She was a clever girl with CGPA 3.8 whom Prof Dzulkfi addressed her as an different able not diss able

interview with Prof. Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak

After waiting for four months, finally I manged to get an appointment to interview
Prof. Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak who is USM Vice Chancellor.

It was a quiet long way driving from KL to Penang. Getting lost in Penang and being forced to pass Penang marvelous bridge several times and pay USD 3 toll for every time made me frustrated .

I dont know why my GPS was so interested to make me pass the bridge and pay Penang bridge that much. Any way it was worth to see that spectacular Island and that fantastic university.

Since I had to wait to wait one night to visit Mr Vice Chancellor, I preferred to stay a night in USM guest house.

I dont know how to describe but I can just say the vista of the guest house window was extremely beautiful. You are at the middle of a jungle over the hill and viewing sea and Penang bridge simultaneously .

It was slightly (25%) more expensive in comparison to UPM guest house but I dont regret to stayed there as I kept on of my most fascinating life in nature.

Finally I went to professors office in 6 th floor of chancellery there was a conference room attached to his office which I was led there waiting for USM VC.

At 2 PM, VC came in and greeted me very hospitably and eagerly. I introduced myself and told him that I am one of his article's fan which he was writing in different news paper and in Comment and Views. It had a positive effect and he become more interested to answer my questions.

Generally speaking I found him as brave as our VC who had enough fortitude who was not afraid to declare the defficincies of Malaysian Universities in a positive rational and logical manner.

Another interesting point about his character was most of his examples and line of thinking was referring to medical issues. He was also confessing that people are most important thing in his vision.

He said that environment, development, economic and so forth are some instruments that help people and students to live more comfortable. Therefore a sustainable campus orbits over the students life both in present as well as future.

There was a common idea that Professor Lik Meng and VC were declaring in different language which was ; in sustainability it is better not to measure and not to go to indicators because the concept of sustainable university is being translate differently and can not be measured by some simple indicators.

Any way there are always this kind of disagreement between different scholars, but the good thing is that this VC was a really flexible intellectual and open minded person who changed USM to one of the world top universities and APEX University.

The thing that I never forget is his saying ;" We want to teach students that campus belongs to them and it is not our campus that is theirs and it is not a hotel."

He confessed that Malaysian Higher education have some different problems which referes to the Malaysian special specification. He ratified that unbalance proportion of female to male, poor command of English and ethnically polarization exist and theses are real concern. But he said more important than command of English is common way of communication which will not preserve the campus sustainability.

Interview with (Professor Datuk Dr.) Nik Mustapha R. Abdullah

Finally I managed to catch Professor Datuk Dr Nik Mustapha to interview. Professor Datuk Dr. Nik Mustapha R. Abdullah is looking to a very serious and practical man and that is why he was a successful dean and consecutively a successful vice chancellor for these long time.

He was very strict and accurate in his words and very bravely criticised some environmentalist ideas. For example he said:" I dont understand what the slogan of we should have a sustainable education is ? in stead we should be sustainable in operation and in agriculture. when we care about green lands, trees, sustainable agriculture we will save the environment as well." He was addressing this notion that" the future generation needs is embedded in using new technology and conserving the environment for economic prosperity . "
UPM vice chancellor is well known among economist and that was why he was viewing the issues through the lens of an economist and not as an environmentalist .
I think he was right since if there is no money there is no life to strive for conserving the environement. Datuk Nik siad he has a good relationship with Iranian since he has visited there, many times and has some students who were studying under his supervision and now he( on of his students) is the deputy of Iranian environment minister.
Datuk Nik was among the minority which wasnt afraid to declare that there are some racial polarization and poor command of english in Malaysian universities. He was also brave enough to say at the time being the dramatic rise in the female proportion against male students concerns the authority. I am proud of myself to study in a university who has that excelent, brave and practical vice chancellor.

Interview with Professor Datuk Dr Khaw lake Tee

The thing that is really makes me surprised is that as much as one encounters to higher persons and higher managers in this beautiful Malaysia, they are simpler, more modest and more humble.
It shows that Malaysia in term of assigning suitable persons for specific jobs has done meticulously and very well. Professor Datuk Khaw is among of these managers. I was anticipating to be faced with a very strict lady which has a big frown on her face and always looks at her watch to indicate that my time of interview is over and I should leave. However It wasn't true She was that much kind and were behaving that much friendly that It was being assumed that I know her for 20 years. She answered my questions very delicately with Passion and in a very simple and strict manner.
She was also very brave to confess her organization deficiency and its reasons. I dont know how she dared to describe it that much straight forward to a foreigner? But she was clever enough to distinguish between different people. She got very happy when I proposed her to operate the university in style of sustainable campus and even asked me to send her some guidelines or whatever I have to use it in her organization. Actually such a university, UM, which is oldest university in Malaysia has been very successful in term of academic and research however it seems it has a long way to reach to the summit of sustainable campus.
Professor Khaw has been dean of faculty of Law for 12 years and in 2007 was assigned as the deputy of vise chancellor.

Interview with Dr Halimaton

Datin Paduka Dr. Halimaton Saadiah is an pioneer scholar in realm of campus sustainabilty. Finally I managed to find this nice lady to perfom an interview. My objective of this interview was to get her points of view on campus sustaianbity, current Malaysian Higher education Institutaions challenges and to propose new indicators for creating a new assessment tool for Malaysian Higher Education Institutaion. She was that much humble that I really marvelled and lost the thread of conversation and my questions.
The interesting part was after analizing erinterview and sending her the result she edited all defficiencies and replyed very fast. UKM should be proud of this modest scholar. Later on I will write more about her pulblications and achievments.

Ulu Geroh with environmental field work group

One of the most interesting parts of the trip was visiting Orang Asli people. They were living at the middle of Jungle. They were semi nomad and had their own regulation, their own language and their own governance. On the way to go to their village we saw how the rubber is being extracted from the trees. We went to the village and interviewed with some residents. They were mostly Christian or Animistic. They were hunting, fishing, capturing butterfly for selling to tourists, harvesting Durian and so fourth. However now a days the globalization has changed everything. These people were working in construction or industry in the city and were returning to their house in the night. The compelling issue was Malaysian government has catered solar panel for every household. They still use timber and wood for the only source of cooking.

The settlement of Ulu Geroh, where the indigenous Semai community protects the world's largest flower has a very specifc and unice character that you wil not feel it unless you go there.

Living in the nature and struggeling with its roughness is an unseparatable of Orang Asli's life component.

Comming back from Orang Asli we hungout in the city with kind, nice, hospitable and decent friends and drunk Teh Taree a favourate Malaysian drink.

1-Here you can find about Ulu Geroh Rafflesia and Rajah Brooke's Birdwing Conservation Area
2- What can one do there
3-Orang Asli are going to receice Titel and land
4- Prevention of logging near Orang Asli
5-A ducumentary movies about there
6- Creating opportunity for theri women
7- The bar team report

Trip : Inside the cave

On the second day we wend inside the cave wow It was unbelievable amazing. Creeping through the tunnel less than 50 cm diameter, climbing up and down the very slippery sharp rocks was a good assessment to evaluate our stamina and our strength. Gils and boys together were exploring the tunnel. To me it was strange cause in my country doing these things with a group of girls leads to be held in custody. Be as it may it got finished and all the group members full of mud over their clothes tired by cheerful came back to the hostel.

I really can not judge weather the cave was more beautiful or the water fall where Mr. Goh lead us there. This Mr Goh is a real gentleman and can be very good friend of mine. He is a golfer and knows all the interesting places of Perak. I have to keep it as my friend. Maybe our Iranian club can arrange a trip to Cameron Highland with using his help.

He is both an excelent environmentalist and a good dance trainer. In the last night we all enjoyed from his tremendous dance performance.