By Maryam Spahic
GOMBAK, 8 March 2015: Finishing high school is the end of an era. Once that happens, real life begins and how that life turns out is shaped by what one decides to do after high school. Hence, graduating from high school may be an exciting experience for some and intimidating for others. This depends on whether or not one has a clear picture of his future.
The Malaysian Ministry of Education has been organising the ˜Karnival Pendidikan Tinggi Negara (National Institution of Higher Learning Festival) for a decade now in an attempt to help high school leavers and the general public explore the options available for them in Malaysia in terms of universities and courses as well as education loans and scholarships.
This year, International Islamic University Malaysia (Gombak Campus) is one of the hosts for the carnival. Thousands of people from all over Kuala Lumpur and further have visited the carnival in hopes of guidance and decision making for their higher education.
Muhammad Imtiyaz Jamaludin, 18, who recently graduated from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (National High School) Hillcrest, Taman Sri Gombak was one of the many visitors of the carnival. He admitted that the carnival was a very good platform where students could get more information and gain more understanding in the university and courses they wish to join.
The carnival, he added, had helped him make comparisons between universities and courses. It also helped him make decisions based on personal interests as well as qualifications.
Imtiyaz, like many others, have multiple ambitions. He claimed that it is time to make a decision and after visiting the carnival, he has decided to venture into engineering in IIUM because of its Islamic and international environment. He hoped to be a lecturer in the faculty of engineering.
He claimed to have no clear picture on life as a university student. It is nerve-wrecking, he admitted, when he was told that getting into a university is a major transition where students have to be independent with their studies. However, Imtiyaz was confident and determined to study well in university for the sake of his future.***