SPEECH BY YB DATO’ DR CHUA SOI LEK, MINISTER OF HEALTH
MALAYSIA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE KTAR JOHOR BRANCH
CAMPUS CONVOCATION CEREMONY ON 9 JULY 2005 AT 10.00
AM, COLLEGE HALL, KTAR JOHOR BRANCH CAMPUS
Council Members, Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman
Ms Yoong Lai Thye, Principal
Heads of Schools and Departments, Lecturers and Staff
Distinguished Guests
Parents and Graduates
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning to all of you.
1.
I am privileged to be given the honour by the Chairman of TAR
College Council, Dato’ Seri Ong Ka Ting, to officiate this morning’s
convocation ceremony of Tunku Abdul Rahman College, Johor Branch
Campus.
2.
We are present here on this auspicious morning to celebrate the
academic achievements of 664 Diploma and Certificate graduates who
will be receiving their scrolls today. This joy is shared by the graduates’
families, friends and the staff of this college.
3.
On behalf of the college, I would like to thank all parents and
guardians for entrusting us with your children and charges. These new
graduates are the products of the quality academic programmes at the
College and they are bringing a fresh promise and potential to our local
community and the future of our nation.
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4.
To the academic, administrative and support staff, I commend your
drive, commitment and dedication in facilitating the graduates’
accomplishments. You must be feeling a sense of fulfillment on seeing
the graduates successfully achieving another milestone in their lives.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
5.
The Johor Branch Campus started operations in May 1998 with an
initial intake of 346 students. Since then, this branch campus has
produced more than 3,000 graduates. I am pleased to note that TAR
College is one of the very few educational institutions in the state that
are equipped with every facility and recreational amenity for the most
conducive study environment. Students studying at TAR College Johor
Branch Campus enjoy a well-stocked library, computer and IT
laboratories, an auditorium, lecture theatres, workshops, a clubhouse
with an Olympic-sized swimming pool, squash courts, a gymnasium, a
multi-purpose hall and other sport facilities such as tennis courts,
basketball courts and a soccer field.
6.
TAR College is committed to offer a wholesome education and the
College encourages its students to participate in various healthy sports
and co-curricular activities such as student clubs and societies, debates,
educational and language camps, Langkawi Project and Blood Donation
Campaigns. Participation in such activities helps students groom
interpersonal, communication, organisational and leadership skills
besides providing them with opportunities to gain self-confidence and
develop team spirit and good citizenship.
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Dear graduates,
7.
I understand that many of you today have continued to further your
studies either at TAR College KL Main Campus or Universiti Tunku
Abdul Rahman; some of you may even have opted to work. Whichever
pathway you choose, the fact is that the Diploma or Certificate scroll that
you hold in your hands today is a qualification that opens the door to
some of the much sought after pathways for further education and
professional qualification. I am told that a large number of TAR College
Diploma graduates in the past have furthered their studies at the
Bachelor’s level.
8.
I am also pleased to note that at the advanced diploma level, the
College continues to make its mark in its niche disciplines of Accounting,
Business Administration, Engineering and Building that prepare students
for professional examinations or seek exemptions from the respective
professional bodies. Its Advanced Diploma in Technology (Building)
graduates are given full exemptions from the examinations of the
Chartered Institute of Builders (CIOB) of United Kingdom. TAR College
is also accorded the Premier Plus status by the Association of Chartered
Certified Accountants (ACCA) for meeting its set of rigorous monitoring
criteria to be among good institutions worldwide for ACCA studies. The
College is the only institution outside UK and Ireland that is approved to
conduct the ACCA Internally-Assessed course up to Part Two of the
ACCA examinations.
9.
Similarly, many professional bodies and foreign universities have
recognised the TAR College Advanced Diploma qualification as
equivalent to a “pass” at the degree level. I am told that on the basis of
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such recognition, many of the Advanced Diploma graduates have gone
on to do a top-up semester in UK universities and graduated with
Honours Bachelor’s degrees. Many of these students had obtained good
results in the programme and some of them had even stayed on to do
their Master’s degrees at reduced fees! I understand that this year, 1,008
TAR College graduates from various disciplines have joined the top-up
semester programme at UK universities.
10.
Learning does not stop after you get your diploma or certificate.
Your convocation today is only the beginning of lifelong learning. In a
fast-changing world, you must continue to acquire new knowledge, new
skills and new approaches to everything you do. Continue to upgrade
yourselves by taking courses to improve your competency and
efficiency. The process of lifelong learning would add value to your life
and give you the cutting edge that would put you ahead of your peers in
terms of knowledge, skills, competitiveness, employability and personal
development.
11.
As an institution of higher learning, TAR College is no stranger to
the cause of lifelong learning. With its appointment as an anchor
institution in MCA’s Lifelong Learning Campaign and the setting up of
TAR College’s Learning Centre at Wisma MCA, the College is poised to
play its role to help educate Malaysians from all walks of life beyond the
traditional boundaries of education. Through its Centre for Continuing
Professional Education, the College has offered courses covering a wide
spectrum of subjects such as business communication, customer service
excellence, telephone courtesies, languages, health and wellness. I am
very happy to note that the Johor Branch Campus has also initiated its
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own lifelong learning campaign with the introduction of the Public
Speaking, Chinese Calligraphy and Chinese Brush Painting courses.
Dear graduates,
12.
At this point, let me give you a gentle reminder that your future is
largely determined by yourself. It is you who determine who you will be
and what you will do for the rest of your life. Work hard to achieve the
target you have set for yourself in your career. In the process of climbing
the corporate ladder, do not lose sight of the social responsibility to your
family and the community and uphold the ethical and moral values that
your parents and the College have taught you.
13.
To the graduates who are continuing their studies, I wish to extend
my most sincere congratulations and best wishes. While you are
studying, take the opportunity to equip yourself with the necessary skills
for your future career.
14.
To those graduates who are seeking employment, my wish is that
each of you will find a job that is bigger than what you think you can
handle – jobs that will challenge you, stretch your capabilities and test
your mental boundaries. And whatever and wherever this job may be,
you must remember that success and happiness cannot be measured by
material goals alone but by whether you are truly excited about getting
up and going to work every day.
15.
Before I conclude my address, let me once again congratulate all
the graduates this morning. I wish all of you every success in the future.
Thank you.
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