Government Defends UiTM For Bumiputera Development – Zambry

SHAH ALAM: The government continues to defend Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) as an important institution in the education, professional and socio-economic development of the Bumiputera.

Higher Education Minister, Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir said, the mandate and identity that form the basis of UiTM’s establishment and development will continue to be preserved by the government.

“Out of awareness of this great trust, I wish to affirm that the Government will continue to defend UiTM as an important institution in the education, professional and socio-economic development of the Bumiputera.

“The mandate and identity that form the basis of UiTM’s establishment and development will continue to be preserved, but defending UiTM does not mean we merely defend what already exists, instead we must continue to strengthen, empower and advance it,” he said in his speech at the UiTM 2026 Royal Address ceremony at the Seri Budiman Concert Hall here on Friday.

Also in attendance at the ceremony themed ‘Excellence in Educational Institutions as the Core of National Development’ were the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, and the Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin.

Zambry said, among the strategic steps that have been implemented is the establishment of the UiTM Rationalisation Coordination Committee (URCC) to examine academic, research, innovation, governance and talent development aspects.

He said the committee also involves aspects of industry networking, internationalisation and readiness to face future technological and economic changes under the purview of its Chairman, Tan Sri Idris Jusoh.

“We want UiTM to continue to grow as a ‘Premier University Driving Bumiputera Professionals’ – firm in its mandate, high in its excellence and wide in its contribution to the nation and the world.

“In conjunction with the 7-Decade Evolution of UiTM 1956–2026 themed ‘Legacy of Knowledge, Supreme Aspiration’, the achievements of these seven decades should not only be celebrated, but must be seen as a trust to build the next seven decades,” he said.

Meanwhile, Zambry said, the main question now is not just about how far UiTM has advanced, but rather, the next direction of this sacred institution.

BERNAMA