Johor Port Contributes RM1 Million to UTM Endowment Fund

JOHOR BAHRU, 17 August 2021 – Johor Port Berhad (Johor Port), a member of MMC Group donated RM1 million to Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) for its Endowment Fund in a handover ceremony held virtually.

The cheque donation was handed over by Md Derick Basir, Chief Executive Officer of Johor Port Berhad to YBhg Prof Datuk Ts Dr. Ahmad Fauzi Ismail, Vice Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia witnessed by YBhg Dato’ Sri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh, Group Managing Director of MMC Corporation Berhad. Also present during the virtual ceremony were senior officials of UTM and senior management of Johor Port.

The main purpose of the establishment of the UTM Endowment Fund is to assist the poor and needy students who are academically good but unfortunately are incapable of financing their fees and their cost of living.

In his welcome speech, the Vice Chancellor of UTM expressed his gratitude and thanks to Johor Port for its continued commitment to help UTM, especially by channeling funds to the UTM Endowment Fund amounting to RM8 million, from 2013 to 2021. Donations to the Fund were invested in low-risk and shariah-compliant fixed deposits, and the investment gains (hibah pelaburan) were used to help 21 outstanding UTM students who are under the B40 category through the Al-Bukhary Endowment Scholarship. To date, a total of 12 Al-Bukhary Endowment Scholarship recipients have graduated and successfully completed their respective study programs.

In appreciation of Johor Port’s contribution, UTM has renamed the UTM Marine Technology Centre the UTM – Johor Port Marine Technology Centre. The Vice Chancellor of UTM said that Johor Port Berhad’s contribution to the UTM Endowment

The fund would ensure that the welfare of the less unfortunate UTM students would continue to be secured.

Johor Port Chairman and Group Managing Director of MMC Corporation Bhd, YBhg Dato’ Sri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh, said, “We believe that the private sector can make a significant contribution to the development of higher education in terms of fund contribution and industry training experience. The contribution from Johor Port is one of our Corporate Social Responsibilities initiatives to the State in helping the children of our nation towards pursuing their aspirations to acquire knowledge and become successful. Especially in this current situation where many have lost their source of income and some of them may have children who are currently studying at UTM. We don’t want them to be discouraged from continuing their studies at universities. Education is an important asset to change the standard of living and it can change one’s future for the better.”

“And I believe that the cooperation between corporate companies and universities can be a positive platform to develop human capital that are of higher quality, more skilled and knowledgeable, creative and innovative; and which in turn can help to develop the country towards greater excellence in the future,” he added.

“We are happy contributing to the UTM Endowment Fund knowing that our contribution can help the much-needed students and indirectly can help the nation to produce high-performance young talents. As a high-performance organisation, we believe that high-performance talents are the most crucial element towards organisational success and we are happy to be able to play a part in it through our contribution to the UTM Endowment Fund,” said Md Derick Basir, Chief Executive Officer of Johor Port Berhad.

Johor Port, a member of MMC Group, serves as a catalyst for various industries specializing in commodities, manufacturing, and Oil and Gas activities. The Port has five Terminals with 24 berths totaling 4.75km covering a spectrum of activities including Container, Bulk and Break Bulk activities. It is also the first port in Johor designed as a multi-purpose port to cater to all types of cargo.

MMC Group remains committed to empowering the next generation with knowledge, which stems from the Group’s beliefs that education is the key to help the underprivileged improve their standard of living through its various CSR initiatives.