Helping hand

OPEN University Malaysia (OUM) and International Open College (IOC) have signed an agreement with non-government organisation 1Malaysia Indian Student Movement (1MISM) to provide education to the underprivileged in its community.
BETTER EDUCATION
According to the agreement, 1MISM will aid qualified members of its community with the enrolment process at OUM or IOC. At the same time, 1MISM will also raise awareness among its community members on OUM’s and IOC’s many Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) accredited programmes. 1MISM will specifically reach out to the younger generation and working employees to help them improve their career prospects through better qualifications.
MEANINGFUL PARTNERSHIP
1MISM president Dr Mahaaganapathy Dass said at the agreement-signing ceremony: “I would like to stress that this collaboration is not confined to the Indian community. Anybody, regardless of race or religion, can benefit from this collaboration.”
IOC CEO Prof Dr Siti Aishah Hashim Ali and OUM vice president of academic Prof Dr Sha’ari Abd Hamid were also present at the ceremony.
“1MISM has already played a hand in introducing a few underprivileged students who will be receiving full scholarships to pursue their tertiary education at IOC,” said Sha’ari.
IMPROVING LIVES
To mark the beginning of a new partnership, the first 100 students to register under 1MISM for a bachelor’s degree and diploma in management, human resource management, accounting and mass communication at IOC will receive full scholarships.
The scholarships have already benefited two students – one from Seremban and the other from Kuala Lumpur. They are already on their journey to better education having started their courses in March this year.
Interested students, regardless of age, who have obtained at least three credits in SPM can apply for the scholarships.
As a condition, selected recipients will be required to maintain a minimum CGPA of 3.5 throughout the duration of their study.
OUM and IOC are part of the OUM Education Group, which aims to bring lifelong learning that fulfils full-time, part-time, and professional learning needs. Both have centres located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.