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State to build 13,000 houses by 2013
Young Daniel flying high after runner-up finish
UTM to position itself for global audience

State to build 13,000 houses by 2013

Posted: 15 Sep 2011 02:34 AM PDT

KUALA TERENGGANU: The state government through its State Economic Development Corporation is planning to build 13,000 units of houses of various categories by 2013 at a cost of RM800 million.

Its general manager Datuk Osman Muda said since the agency was appointed to manage low cost and affordable housing projects in 2009, it has been involved in 17 projects altogether.

"As of December last year, the agency has built 5,473 units of low cost and affordable houses costing RM458.4 million.

"We managed to complete 133 units of low cost houses in the Setiu district.

"The units in other districts will be completed at the end of the year or early next year," he told reporters after a Hari Raya gathering recently attended by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said.

Osman said the breakdown of houses under construction were 1,846 units in Kuala Terengganu district, Kemaman (1,471 units), Besut (144 units), Setiu (133 units completed), Marang (383 units), Dungun (890 units) and Hulu Terengganu (626 units). — Bernama

Young Daniel flying high after runner-up finish

Posted: 15 Sep 2011 02:33 AM PDT

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UTM to position itself for global audience

Posted: 15 Sep 2011 02:32 AM PDT

SKUDAI: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) wants to court more foreign broadcasting stations to promote and feature the university in their reports to an international audience.

Its vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Zaini Ujang said the public relation drive would help position UTM as one of the top leading research-based universities in the world.

He said the move would not belittle the publicity given by the local broadcasting stations which had helped the university to rise to greater heights.

"The way forward is to actively engage these foreign television stations as they have a better audience penetration globally,'' Zaini said at the closing ceremony of the orientation week for new 2,500 new students at the Skudai Campus here.

He said the university did not wish to remain in its comfort zone forever, instead it wanted to be on par with the world's famous universities such as Harvard, Oxford and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Zaini said the Al-Jazeera broadcasting channel had recently interviewed him on UTM's role in attracting foreign students to the university especially from the Middle East countries.

He said presently, the university has more than 3,200 foreign students with half of them from Middle East countries such as Iran, Libya and Gulf States.

Zaini said like any advertising, marketing or promotional activities, it involved huge sums of money and the university had allocated a certain budget to the campaign but declined to give the figure.

"After Al-Jazeera, we are probably looking at BBC and CNN,'' he said adding the impact of the publicity would not be seen immediately but in the long-term.

On unrelated matter, Zaini said the 60 Libyans currently pursuing their studies at the university did not have any financial difficulties despite the transition of power in Libya.

He said many of the foreign students especially those from the Middle East were self-sponsored and had already paid their fees and other related expenses in advance.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Khamis, 15 September 2011