SERDANG – Centre of Foundation Studies for Agricultural Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) had organized Asasi Education Fair 2019 on 27^th February 2019. Asasi Education Fair is an annual programme of Centre of Foundation Studies for Agricultural Science. The fair was first held in 2012 and this was its 8^th year.

 

Asasi Education Fair 2019 was held at Main Hall, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Arts and Cultural Centre, Universiti Putra Malaysia from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm. YBhg Prof Dr. M. Iqbal Saripan, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic & International) of UPM was present as a guest of honor, and he delivered prizes to winners in one of the lucky draw sessions.

The representative from faculties and responsible centers remained at the Main Hall throughout the day to give consultation and answer enquiries on the undergraduate courses offered by UPM. Asasi Education Fair 2019 aimed at providing the graduating students of Centre of Foundation Studies for Agricultural Science all the information on the programmes that they can take at Bachelor's degree level in UPM. Additionally, this programme also functioned as a double-edge sword to promote UPM since visitors from secondary schools and other Matriculation Centers were also invited.

The one-day event provided opportunity for the students to ask questions to the respective faculties and responsible centers directly, especially on the admission requirements, registration fee and other related details. Interestingly, graduates of Centre of Foundation Studies for Agricultural Science were eligible to join any degree programme of their choice in UPM depending on the general requirements of the university and the specific requirements of the respective faculty.

 

The main attraction of Asasi Education Fair was the informative exhibition booths. Other than the exhibition booths from the faculties, there was also a booth from Student Affairs Division that gave information on scholarship matters and a booth from Counselling Division that organized a slot Kenali Kecenderungan Minat Pelajar (Know Your Learning Preferences) to help students choose the best degree programme that would suit their interest and ability. Oftentimes, students were in dilemma to choose the right programme to take after they finished foundation studies. Many factors influenced their decision such as parents’ desire for their future, peer pressure, and tendency to choose a more sophisticated Bachelor’s degree when in truth; the programme did not suit their learning capability. Consequently, students could not showcase their full academic potential and this was feared to be a factor that would contribute to the student’s inability to complete their undergraduate study.

 

The change in this year’s Asasi Education Fair was the STEM-related activity offered by Centre of Foundation Studies for Agricultural Science’s booth in the hope to attract more SPM leavers and school students to join science stream programmes at university level. The effort was in line with a quote from Utusan Malaysia, 5 July 2017 which stated, ‘the enhancement of STEM is an important initiative in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025. However, only 47 percent of students choose STEM in this country’. In line with this matter, simple experimental activities that stressed on science concept were hoped to change students’ perceptions towards science stream.

 

The director of Centre of Foundation Studies for Agricultural Science, Prof. Dr. Norihan Md. Ariffin said that this annual fair was also one of the mechanism to promote UPM to the society especially school leavers and matriculation students. It was hoped to inform the society of how different Centre of Foundation Studies for Agricultural Science compared to other foundation centers.

 

The immence support for the Asasi Education Fair from the previous years made it an annual event that should not be missed. The positive feedbacks from visitors influenced Centre of Foundation Studies for Agricultural Science to invite more visitors especially from the school around Selangor. The visitors were happy to interact with the faculty’s representative as a clear picture about continuing study in a renowned public university was obtained. To attract more Asasi’s students’ participation in the fair, a few sessions of lucky draw were conducted. The grand prizes were bicycles, along with other interesting prizes. To include other visitors, quiz slots were also organized offering some interesting prizes to be won. Koperasi UPM also opened their booth at the fair, selling UPM merchandises. Other than that, information on sponsorship could also be obtained from Pusat Pengurusan Wakaf, Zakat dan Endowment (WAZAN).

 

Date of Input: 04/03/2019 | Updated: 15/04/2019 | hasniah