Designing future of KIRKHS

By Iylia Marsya Iskandar

GOMBAK, 15 October 2019: As the saying goes, “consistency is key,” it is time for the Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (KIRKHS) to start making progress and develop it as a holistic kulliyyah consistently, former Dean of KIRKHS, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Badri Najib Zubir pointed out in his speech on Monday (14 October).

Six former deans of KIRKHS, along with the current dean, put their heads together and exchanged views to plan for the future of the Kulliyyah at the Sharing Session with Former Shaykh and Deans of Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (KIRKHS) at Banquet Hall, Muhammad Abdul Rauf Building, IIUM campus here.

In his message, Dr. Badri Najib Zubir highlighted that the current Rector’s action to not impose a specific key performance indicator (KPI) is only for the betterment of the kulliyyah.

“The kulliyyah can now develop their own criteria and independent list of expectations so that they can start achieving consistently and remain unchanged even when the top management changes,” he further said.

Citing the first dean of KIRKHS, Emeritus Professor Dr. Tan Sri Muhammad Kamal Hassan, “We do not want Malay mentality, instead, we need ummatic mindset,” Dr. Badri Najib Zubir expressed his agreement on the above statement, and further added that the kulliyyah needs to be the exemplary model where people come to obtain direction, orientation and paradigm.

All six of the former deans had directly or indirectly agreed that there is a need to expose the students to the subject of contemporary world and Muslim society in order to produce high quality graduates.

Meanwhile, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hazizan Md. Noon also called upon the need to establish an IIUM School of Social Sciences as per the world-class university, Harvard University, has been doing.

In-line with one of the missions of IIUM which is internalisation, the university holds its pride by having a significant number of international students and staffs.

The kulliyyah is well-known to be the biggest kulliyyah with the most number of international staffs and students, however, the recent increase in fees for international students might backfire.

“If the significant chunk of the kulliyyah is inclusive of international students, the raising of fees will cause less international students to enrol. Therefore, when this happens the kulliyyah and the university will not be talked about with great pride,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Badri Najib Zubir further clarified.

It is the former deans’ wish to produce both international and local graduates who are all-rounded and able to walk through all walks of life as they are the pride of the university and kulliyyah.

The sharing session was joined by six out of 14 former deans of KIRKHS. The attendees were KIRKHS Emeritus Professor Dr. Tan Sri Muhammad Kamal Hassan, Prof. Dr. Anis Ahmad, Prof. Dr. Abdullah Hassan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hazizan Md. Noon, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Badri Najib Zubir, Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Zein and Prof. Dr. Rahmah Ahmad H. Osman.

Almost all of the former deans emphasised on the need for the integration of secular and Islamic knowledge for the kulliyyah.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hazizan Md. Noon shared, “Even though there are seven deans in this hall right now, however, we are all united under one deen.” ***

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