Silver Jubilee Celebration of Institute of Education (INSTED), IIUM
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Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Salam Sejahtera dan Salam 1Malaysia
Yang Berbahagia Prof. Dato’ Dr. Md. Tahir Azhar
Members of IIUM Management Team
Prof. Rosnani Hashim, Dean of the Institute of Education
Faculty members and staff.
Alhamdulillah, I am grateful to Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala, for with His blessings and grace we are able to convene here today on this auspicious and historic occasion.
2. I am truly honoured to be present among you this morning and be a part of INSTED’s history with the launching of the Institute’s 25th anniversary celebrations. I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate members of INSTED, past and present, on reaching this significant milestone.
3. Twenty five years is a long period. If INSTED is a human being, it has grown into a young adult. That means maturity, capability to stand on its own and be accountable for its actions and achievements. In fact, if it is a lady, it is now at a stage where it can produce seeds of the future generations. The society will place upon its shoulders the hopes and responsibility for realizing a better tomorrow, through what it should do best. Producing well-rounded educators. As the poet Usman Awang said: Segala-galanya bermula dengan seorang guru [everything begins with an educator].
4. INSTED had a very humble beginning. It started by offering the Diploma Pendidikan which is a short post-graduate programme of 10 months. Now it is has entered the big league, offering a Doctoral Programme to an international student body spanning several continents. This programme gives INSTED ample time to jointly develop new body of knowledge with the students and in the process inculcate the values that define IIUM, one of which is c’omprehensive excellence’. I believe the introduction of the Doctoral Programme was an important milestone in establishing INSTED’s reputation at the international scene and in reaching a broader scope of ummah. As a sign of approval, I am really happy to learn that international postgraduate students in INSTED have outnumbered the local students.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
5. I am very proud to say that the university is very heartened by the performance of the INSTED. I wish to specifically highlight the achievement of five of our professors who have earned themselves a reputation as an authority in their chosen fields. I congratulate the Professors for the recognition they have earned in the areas of Islamization and Integration of Knowledge and Personality, the Curriculum of Islamic Education, the Pedagogy of Philosophical Inquiry, Research Methodology especially in science and technology survey for MOSTE, and Structural Equation Modelling Statistics.
6. These are exemplary achievements. We have the choice to either display our achievements high up on the shelves or, keep them close to us. I urge you to keep them close. Keep them close enough so that it will spur us to work harder for greater results. Close enough that we will be reminded of our reason for existence that drove us to achieve those results in the first place. We can, and should, do more. I strongly encourage more lecturers and Associate Professors to identify your areas of passion and develop the body of knowledge in those areas so that INSTED can truly become a source of reference in the education sector, Insya Allah.
7. In this highly competitive era of globalization, the challenge for educators should not be underestimated. It is not just about passing the knowledge from one generation to another. We need innovative and creative educators who dare to challenge the norms and infuse critical analysis and problem solving as an integral part of education. Education is a means to an end. The end that we aim for is a society that is anchored in Islamic values, and at the same time, progressive in its actions to develop the ummah and the country. The educators produced by INSTED must rise to this challenge. The challenge of educating and grooming the future leaders of our ummah who can master the worldly skills and contribute to nation-building without compromising on Islamic values. This is the essence of the motto for the Silver Jubilee Celebration: Innovative Educators, Productive Ummah.
8. Research work and awards and accolades will of course form part of INSTED’s legacy. However, a more lasting, and may I say, fulfilling legacy will be our contribution to nation-building; in the form of future leaders trained under our unique fusion of education and Islamic values.
9. Akhirul kalam, with the lafadh of Bismillahirrahmanirahim I officially declare the Institute of Education Silver Jubilee Celebration open.
Wabillahitaufik Walhidayah
Wasalamualaikum
Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
