Educationist wins special award

OUTSTANDING SERVICE: The award recognises Datuk Seri Dr Vijay Eswaran’s vision and leadership in guiding Quest International University Perak to achieve rapid growth

IPOH: QI Group executive chairman Datuk Seri Dr Vijay Eswaran received the Special Award for Education Entrepreneurship and Leadership at the 18th Malaysian Education Summit organised by the Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute, here, recently.

Second Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh handed the award to him at the Swan Convention Centre in Petaling Jaya.

The award recognises his vision, innovation, leadership and success in guiding Quest International University Perak (QIUP) to achieve rapid growth in the last three years.

The university, which is a joint venture between the QI Group and the Perak state government, is expected to have more than 1,000 students and increase its programmes to 24 by the end of the year.

“While I am thrilled to be an award recipient for education entrepreneurship and leadership, this achievement could not have been possible without QIUP’s dedicated teaching staff, our trusted council members, and our students who challenge us daily to improve the way we do things at the university.

“I am also honoured to receive this award alongside the rest of the accomplished entrepreneurs, such as Datuk Peter Ng of UCSI University and Tan Sri Othman Merican of Sri Kuala Lumpur School, who are all working diligently for the transformation of the education sector, as well as to build innovative private education in Malaysia and globally,” he said.

The QIUP university council chairman won the award for showing fine entrepreneurial skills and exceptional management expertise, as well as for his role in the development of professional education, education reforms and innovation.

Under his leadership, QIUP is today one of the fastest growing universities in the country, currently offering 20 programmes including medicine and postgraduate studies.

“From its humble beginning in 2011, the QIUP saga is a story of the hunger for excellence and the thirst for achievement. The farsightedness, courage and determination on the part of the university’s management team in identifying an industry niche and capitalising on core competencies are the mainstay in our quest to turn QIUP into an education hub in the country,” he said.

Speaking as a panelist at the summit on the topic of “Transforming Malaysian Education in the 21st Century”, Vijay said English language proficiency was fundamental to the transformation of the Malaysian education sector.

“English proficiency in the country has dropped to a critical level where it can undermine the wellbeing and international standing of this country in the absence of genuine efforts to curb its decline. It is difficult to conduct economic and commercial activities without a strong command of English.”