PETALING JAYA, Feb 8 — Whilst the higher education sector is rapidly shifting to focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) subjects, universities must not deprioritise studies on humanities, said the Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah.
Delivering a royal address titled ‘Shaping University Leadership for Higher Education in the 21st Century‘ at University Malaya here today, His Royal Highness said it is crucial for university leaders to advocate the study of humanities to allow students to develop their creativity, strong sense of ethics and values as well as their ‘soft skills’.
“Allow me at the outset to extend my deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to the people of Türkiye and Syria, following the severe double earthquake that struck their countries earlier this week. At this time of suffering and grief, you are in all our thoughts and prayers,” Sultan Nazrin said.
His Royal Highness said it is, however, undeniable that the study of humanities must be done concurrently with preparing students for modern challenges and making sure that they are digitally and technologically competent.
“What we must recognise is that the core skills fostered by the humanities — communication, decision-making, the ability to synthesise huge quantities of information — are of enormous value in real-world contexts,
“In other words, we must make sure that today’s students have both the skills to take practical actions, and the wisdom to direct those actions to productive and worthwhile ends,” said Sultan Nazrin.
His Royal Highness, who is also University Malaya’s Chancellor, added it is crucial to develop skills acquired by undertaking humanities as they are what companies are eyeing for in recruiting graduates nowadays.
“What they wanted from the students they recruited were what we might call ‘soft’ skills, open and inquiring minds, articulate voices, clear reasoning and good writing, human and social skills, the ability to think on one’s feet, to balance opposing points of view, to come to a decision and then to act upon it,” said Sultan Nazrin.
As such, His Royal Highness said university leaders must play their role in ensuring students are sufficiently trained and guided to adapt to the rapidly evolving future, adding that such a feat was not unprecedented.
“In the nineteenth century (during the first Industrial Revolution), great thinkers looked to the universities to shape and guide the progress of the era in the right direction, towards a brighter future. In the here and now of the twenty-first century, I believe the world must look to you to do the same!” said Sultan Nazrin.
Besides that, universities should not merely operate as a business but must act as thought-leaders, defenders and discoverers of knowledge.
His Royal Highness also believes that universities have a civic duty to pool their talents and resources to support the public good.
“We saw this in practice when the Astra-Zeneca Covid-19 vaccine was developed at speed by Oxford University scientists, and the University insisted that billions of doses should be distributed at cost to over 150 countries in the developing world,” said Sultan Nazrin.
— Bernama
