PENANG, 5 April 2016 – The role of higher education in developing societal resilience and sustainability will be the main focus of the Global Higher Education Forum (GHEF) 2016 which began here today.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of GHEF 2016, Deputy Director General of Higher Education (IPTA), Department of Higher Education, Datin Paduka Ir. Dr. Siti Hamisah Tapsir hoped that the forum will be a platform for scholars, researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders from all over the world to exchange ideas pertaining to changes and disruptions on higher education process, as well as the possible future scenarios and drivers of global higher education, especially those that will affect Malaysia.

“This is crucial as can be seen from the four sub-themes of GHEF 2016, namely higher education and resilience: from ideas to practice; higher education and its resilient future; peaceful, resilient and inclusive societies for sustainable development; and global partnership for sustainable development,” said Hamisah.

She added that more importantly, the forum reiterated the need for leadership that possesses both attributes of resilience and dynamism in coping with changes and disruptions, since sustainability is now enshrined in 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development that replaced the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which ended in 2015.

The global forum, the fifth one since 2007, was organised by Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) and National Higher Education Research Institute (IPPTN) USM, in collaboration with UNESCO Bangkok; LH Martin Institute, University of Melbourne and the Commonwealth Tertiary Education Facility (CTEF).

Approximately 180 participants attended the three-day forum, coming from countries such as United States of America, England, Australia, Fiji, Nigeria, Cambodia, Jamaica, Thailand, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Japan and Malaysia.

Also present at the opening ceremony were the USM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International Affairs) Professor Dato’ Dr. Ahmad Shukri Mustapa Kamal representing the USM Vice-Chancellor; IPPTN Director and Chairman of GHEF 2016 Secretariat, Professor Dr. Wan Mohd. Fauzy Wan Ismail and former IPPTN Director and Co-chairperson of GHEF 2016 Secretariat, Profesor Dr. Ahmad Nurulazam Md. Zain.

The Vice-Chancellor of USM, Professor Dato’ Dr. Omar Osman, who is also the Chairperson of GHEF 2016 will officiate the forum’s closing ceremony on Thursday, 7 April 2016.

Translation: Tan Ewe Hoe

Text: Aishah Hanis Azmi (USM internship student) / Editing: Mohamad Abdullah