The British Council-funded UK-Malaysia University Consortium (UK-MUC) Student Conference in Kuala Lumpur attracted almost 100 students from 28 UK and Malaysia universities to explore the theme of ‘Intercultural Perspectives on Sustainable Development and Equality in higher education.’
Conference format
Lectures, workshops and cultural events were among the activities that were used to discuss and identify solutions to global challenges around the core theme. A highlight was the COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) Sustainable Development Goals challenge, requiring participants to identify real-world 21st century issues and to propose solutions to include specific SDG goals.
The winning team COIL Group 9 pitched a ‘Fastainable Fashion’ concept. Poster Group 9 won the poster competition with their ‘Overconsumption Global Culture’ entry.
Conference partners
The event at Universiti Malaya was organised by the UK-MUC Secretariat, Liverpool John Moores University and was supported by consortium members Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Conference quotes
Prabha Sundram, Head of Education, British Council Malaysia, said, “I am delighted that through the British Council’s Going Global Partnership programme, the UK-Malaysia University Consortium was launched to work collaboratively on projects that expand higher education capacity, quality, mobility, and employability.”, adding that the British Council hoped to make the conference an annual event.
Professor Tim Nichol, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Liverpool John Moores University, said that the conference’s theme reflected the core values and mission of the Consortium: “As a Consortium, we strive to provide a platform for collaboration, exchange of ideas, and joint initiatives to address the common challenges and opportunities in higher education.”
Yang Berbahagia Datin Noorazah binti Omar, Undersecretary, International Relations Division of the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, said the conference was “a perfect opportunity for all participating students to share and learn new insights from peers from the UK and Malaysia on solving these global challenges creatively and to actively engage in the issues surrounding international education and internationalisation.”
Student Delegates Visit to British Council Malaysia Office 20 July 2023
British Council Malaysia welcomed student delegates from the UK Malaysia University Consortium Student Conference to its office in Kuala Lumpur on 20 July 2023.
This visit enabled UK students to meet British expats in Malaysia to hear about the challenges and opportunities of living in Malaysia and for Malaysian university students to learn more about the work of the British Council in the country, postgraduate opportunities in the UK.
Visit speakers
The visit included a panel discussion led by Jazreel Goh, Director British Council Malaysia with speakers:
- British high Commission - Tom Shepherd, Political Counsellor
- UK Business - Martin R Haeger MBE, Director of HL Architecture Sdn Bhd
- UK university - Prof. Sarah Metcalfe, Interim Provost and CEO of University of Nottingham, Malaysia