24/03/2026

TUESDAY | MAR 24, 2026

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EDUCATION NEWS

Educational tour offers look inside palm oil industry o Students from Beaufort Vocational College visit mill and estate in inaugural tour by Sawit Kinabalu Ű BY JOSHUA CHANG newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Why universities need cultural autonomy UNIVERSITIES exist not merely to award degrees, but also as incubators for holistic human capital, where preserving cultural identity is as crucial as advancing science. Yet a paradox arises: while state governments aim to protect heritage through regulation such as Garis Panduan Hiburan, Persembahan Kebudayaan, Pelancongan dan Sukan Terengganu (2020) , heavy administrative burdens on student performing arts reveal a contradiction between their intentions and their impact. The main conflict comes from state entertainment guidelines being imposed on universities. The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) encourages institutional autonomy, and under the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA), universities are not commercial entertainment venues. Their stages are laboratories for learning. By classifying student performances as “Education-Based Presentations,“ we can distinguish them from commercial entertainment, ensuring a supervised environment that respects local and religious values without stifling the growth of soft skills. Perhaps the most exhausting challenge for the modern university is the phenomenon of “Governance by Virality”. In the age of social media, a 15-second clip of a student performance—often filmed by a bystander and shared without academic context—can trigger an immediate administrative reaction. When enforcement agencies penalise solely based on viral clips, then social media, not policy, shapes enforcement. This reactive stance impedes students’ ability to meet the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs). Governance must prioritise structured internal protocols over digital outrage. Furthermore, the requirement for student programmes—which are non-profit, club based, or part of international exchanges—to pay commercial entertainment duties is a fundamental misunderstanding of the university’s role. To treat a student’s cultural assessment as a commercial concert is to essentially tax education. These financial and bureaucratic hurdles discourage the very “Holistic Graduate” model the nation seeks to build. Universities do not operate in a vacuum; they respect the administrative and religious sensitivities of their home states. Universities must balance the administrative and religious expectations of their states, but a “Cultural Concordat” is urgently needed. Such an agreement would assert that robust internal self-regulation alone can adequately protect these sensitivities. Local authorities should verify the context of a performance with the university’s cultural centre before issuing fines based on social media clips. 0 Exemptions for Education: Student-led, non-profit academic performances should be automatically exempt from commercial licensing and entertainment duties. 0 The “Ethical Stage” Protocol: Institutions should implement strict internal standards— including modest attire and curated reper toires—ensuring the state’s moral framework is upheld. To suppress the artistic talents of our youth is to silence the soul of the nation. We must move beyond binary restrictions and toward a sophisticated model of cultural governance. We owe it to our heritage to ensure that the stage remains a space for growth, not a symbol of exclusion or a target for reactive taxation. Through intellectual diplomacy, we can ensure that our culture is preserved not by being locked away, but by being lived. Dr. Noorfathehah Abdullah Sani Head of the Arts and Cultural Centre Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.

KOTA KINABALU: A new educational tour is offering students and visitors a firsthand look at palm oil production in Sabah. Now managed by SKG Green Sdn Bhd, the Sustainable Palm Oil Educational Tour provides participants with direct insight into the industry’s operations, from nurseries to mills. The programme allows groups to visit selected Sawit Kinabalu estates and facilities to learn about the entire production cycle, including plantation management and the processing of fresh fruit bunches. In its first tour under SKG Green, the programme recently hosted 29 students from Beaufort Vocational College at the Lumadan Palm Oil Mill and Estate. Guided by Sawit Kinabalu officers, the students observed the journey of palm oil, from fruit bunch arrival to the production of crude oil. A hands-on activity, lifting a fresh fruit bunch into a tractor, gave them newfound appreciation for the physical demands of plantation work. According to SKG Green CEO Philipa Wilfred Mojilis, the initiative aims to build awareness and understanding of the industry, especially among the younger generation, by showcasing sustainable practices through meaningful, hands-on learning. She highlighted that participants are introduced to the selection and cultivation of quality oil palm seedlings at the nursery level, reinforcing the importance of sustainable practices across all operations. The study was led by IMB researcher Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chen Cheng Ann together with Master of Science student Ng Wei-Ling. Two of the species are new records for Malaysia ( Panulirus femoristriga and P. homarus homarus ), while another ( P. polyphagus ) is a new record for Sabah. Chen said the discovery is significant as it updates Malaysia’s marine biodiversity records and highlights the need to strengthen fisheries resource management in Sabah. “Prior to this study, only three species of spiny lobster, Panulirus ornatus , P. versicolor , and P. longipes, had been known in Sabah waters since 2004,” he said. “Our research has now doubled that number to six species, indicating that much of Sabah’s marine biodiversity remains unexplored. “In related work, our team has also recorded Panulirus stimpsoni from Peninsular Malaysia, further expanding the national checklist of spiny lobsters.” Chen added that further research is needed to support the conservation and sustainable management of the newly recorded species. He also noted that the study was conducted under challenging conditions during the Covid 19 pandemic due to movement restrictions and limited access to field sites and fishing communities. “Despite these constraints, the study successfully doubled the known diversity of spiny lobsters in Sabah, including two species that are entirely new records for Malaysia,” he said. Previously, data on the diversity of spiny

The visiting students listen attentively as an officer explains the oil palm production process.

senior executive for Sales and Marketing, Deveneau Daniel Jambun, was present to observe the programme and identify areas for further enhancement. With growing interest from schools and institutions, SKG Green aims to position the tour as a key platform for learning and engagement with one of Malaysia’s vital industries.

The tours are conducted at selected Sawit Kinabalu sites in Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Beaufort. They complement SKG Green’s existing eco tourism offerings at the Sungai Pin Conservation Area in Kinabatangan, providing visitors with a broader perspective of Sabah’s natural and agricultural landscapes. During the inaugural tour, a team led by

UMS researchers record three new lobster species KOTA KINABALU: The Borneo Marine Institute (IMB) of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has recorded three species of spiny lobster ( Panulirus spp. ) from the state’s waters for the first time. perseverance in carrying out this research,” he said.

Meanwhile, IMB dean Assoc. Prof. Dr. Faihanna Ching said the discovery also reflects the quality and strength of research conducted at the institute. According to her, IMB is now expanding its research focus through the establishment of several new centres, including on oceanography. Meanwhile, Sabah Biodiversity Centre (SaBC) director Ken Kartina Khamis said the discovery highlights the importance of continuous research and documentation of Sabah’s biological resources. The centre has granted the access licence for the study, she said. “SaBC encourages more researchers to conduct biodiversity studies in Sabah, as every new discovery strengthens efforts to develop more effective conservation strategies to protect the state’s natural heritage.” Meanwhile, Sabah Fisheries Department director Datin Dr. Shuhadah Mustapha, stressed that the discovery is important in supporting fisheries resource management efforts. She said the department will take the findings into consideration in future management plans and looks forward to continuing collaboration with UMS. Sabah Parks director Datuk Dr. Maklarin Lakim said the findings provide additional scientific justification for strengthening conservation strategies in key marine protected areas such as Tun Mustapha Park and Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. He also reaffirmed Sabah Parks’ commitment to continuing collaboration with UMS in efforts to conserve and protect the state’s marine biodiversity.

lobsters in Sabah had not been updated since 2004. The increase in recorded species indicates that more marine biodiversity likely remains undocumented in the state’s coastal waters and islands. The research team also suggested expanding biodiversity surveys, including the use of molecular tools such as environmental DNA (eDNA), as well as strengthening collaboration among government agencies, research institutions and local fishing communities to ensure marine resources are managed sustainably for future generations. UMS vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr. Kasim Mansor commended the research team, describing the achievement as a significant milestone in marine science and a reflection of the nation’s research excellence. “I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Chen and Ng for their dedication and Dr. Chen (right) and Ng examining spiny lobster specimens in the IMB laboratory.

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