Final-year quantity surveying students from UiTM’s Seri Iskandar branch learning more about the PSI project.
TWO groups of university students and their lecturers visited the Penang South Island (PSI) project site to learn first-hand about land reclamation while evaluating its environmental and socioeconomic impact.
The first group consisted of students and lecturers from Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) Architectural, Planning, and Surveying Faculty while the second group came from Universiti Sains Malaysia’s (USM) Industrial Technology School.
The students attended briefing sessions at Pusat Perkhidmatan Setempat Nelayan (PPSN) in Permatang Damar Laut.
They became acquainted with the PSI Ecology Offset Master Plan (PEOM), Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP) and Pelitaku which is a community programme offering business opportunities to locals.
Widad says the visit supplements the students’ on-campus learning.
UiTM lecturer Dr Lilawati Ab Wahab, who accompanied around 50 students, highlighted the value of the visit in equipping her quantity surveying students with practical knowledge for future projects.
She said the students gained more understanding about the economic gains and potential risks associated with PSI’s Silicon Island reclamation project as well as witness its impact on the local community and the measures taken to address conflicts.
Student Muhamad Hafith Nasir emphasised the need to assess projects from multiple perspectives to determine their feasibility.
“I believe that PSI will bring about more benefits than negative impact.
“It will attract investors, create job opportunities and improve the livelihood of local fishermen through the SIMP scheme,” he said.
Noor Yusra Md Nasir, a student from UiTM’s Seri Iskandar campus in Tapah, Perak, said their studies encompassed reclamation projects and their issues.
USM student Demus Matheus Huang from Indonesia, who is studying environmental technology, said the briefing provided clarity about PSI and its commitment to provide better opportunities for the locals while minimising the environmental impact.
“The project does have an impact on the environment and the fishing community but the fishermen have benefited from the SIMP, PEOM and Pelitaku programmes.”
Huang’s coursemate from China, Gao Liqing, commended the inclusive nature of the PSI project compared to developments in other countries.
She highlighted the consideration given to the local community, ensuring their progress aligned with the development.
“I am optimistic about PSI as I envision it as a sustainable green development that will bring progress.”
Dr Widad Fadhullah, a lecturer and course coordinator who accompanied the 20 postgraduate students and lecturers from USM, emphasised the value of first-hand knowledge gained from site visits.
She said this supplemented the students’ learning on campus and online.
Penang Infrastructure Corporation chief executive officer Datuk Seri Farizan Darus welcomed the interest of higher learning institutions in the PSI project.
He said it would bring long-term benefits to Penang’s economy and encouraged more schools and universities to visit the project site.
