Helping hand: Prof Lee (second from left) exchanging the MoU documents with Gan. Looking on are TAR UMT vice president (Student Affairs and Services) Assoc Prof Dr Chook Ka Joo (far left) and Radium executive director and Corporate Affairs, Legal & Human Resources head Chai Woon Hou.
STUDENTS from underserved communities will now have greater access to good tertiary education, thanks to the partnership between Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) and Radium Development Berhad (Radium).
The MoU, signed on Jan 16, at TAR UMT’s campus in Kuala Lumpur, marked the start of a five-year partnership that sees the KL-based property developer contributing RM500,000 towards the establishment of the TARC-Radium Care Student Loan, which will be managed by the TAR UMT Student Loan Fund committee.
The varsity’s loan fund was established in 1979 with the aim of helping needy and deserving students pursue and complete their tertiary education.
It is a revolving loan fund whereby funding comes from monetary contributions from its alumni, corporations, foundations and individuals.
Since its inception, the fund has disbursed more than RM57mil over 15,000 loan awards to students, who need only to pay the exact amount they borrowed, without any interest.
As part of its collaboration with TAR UMT, and in line with the property developer’s aim for students to enhance their ability and gain exposure to the corporate world, Radium will also provide the scholars with internship opportunities within the Group, giving them a platform to develop skills by learning, networking and experiencing working life in a professional environment.
The MoU was signed by Radium Group managing director Gary Gan Kah Siong and TAR UMT president Prof Dr Lee Sze Wei.
Prof Lee said the varsity was very pleased to be partnering with Radium to assist students from underprivileged communities in achieving success through education.“Since our establishment in 1969 as TAR College, we have remained committed to providing tertiary education opportunities for young Malaysians regardless of race, class or creed who are seeking quality education, while also meeting the rising demand for human capital from businesses and industries.
“As one of the nation’s oldest institutions, and now known as TAR UMT, we are proud of having played a part in nurturing Malaysia’s talent,” he said in a press release.
Through the partnership, Gan said the Group hoped to provide equal opportunities for deserving students from the B40 community to achieve their educational aspirations and to become valuable members of the country’s workforce by creating a positive impact on their communities and beyond.
“We believe that we have a collective responsibility to develop our nation’s human capital to foster an environment where our employees and future employees have the opportunity to develop and unleash their full potential.
“A strong economy growth can be achieved by embracing and supporting innovation in education that is future-ready and creative,” Gan added.
