As a journalist with the Daily Observer in Liberia, I joined other journalists from other African countries to tour the facilities and campus of the QIU in Perak, Malaysia. I have never been to a university campus with such empowered vision and practical-approach to learning: QIU is inclusive, extensive and highly-practical in its education philosophy.

“We encourage all our students to be the best version of themselves and learn at a pace that will bring out the best in them. At QIU we do not leave any student behind,” the Chief Operating Officer of the University, Nicholas Goh told journalists from Ghana, Liberia, Togo, Benin, Senegal and Nigeria while taking us on a tour of the University campus, laboratories and facilities.

“The vision of the QI Group’s Founder Dato Sri Vijay Eswaran is to build a university that provides world-class education and practical learning for students that will own the present and the future, wherever they find themselves around the globe,” Nicholas Goh revealed enthusiastically.

He warned against individuals that are using the university’s name to dupe unsuspecting members of the public especially in Africa through the promise of scholarships and admissions. “We are a legitimate university and we dissociate ourselves from all forms of fraudulent activities by some people that promise fake scholarships. Please check with our school if you receive any unsolicited offer. You can visit our official website, www.qiu.edu.my”

Professor Zita Fahmi, a highly respected and experienced educationist, is the Vice Chancellor of the University. She acknowledged the fact that universities can provide its graduates with a degree and an education but was quick to communicate the QIU unique advantage over other institutions of higher learning.

She noted: “At QIU, we are here to produce graduates who will change the game, innovators who will leave a legacy in their creations and leaders who push for positive change. And above all, to produce good people who are caring, responsible, competent, ambitious and driven by a passion to provide solutions to the challenges that face the world every day. These graduates are the QIU legacy to the world.”

Highly accomplished Professor Zita Fahmi was the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). She was also the Special Advisor for the Association of Quality Assurance Agencies of the Islamic World (QA Islamic) and the former Secretary of the ASEAN Quality Assurance Network (AQAN). Her legacy in Malaysian education is set in stone, as she was among the few pioneer officers who established the National Accreditation Board in 1997.

Ramya Chandrasekaran, Chief Communications Officer for the QI Group, later revealed to journalists at a one-on-one media roundtable in Penang, Malaysia, where the QNET global conference, VCON, took place, that: “QIU has established partnerships with professional bodies, educational institutions, and industry. QIU students have the opportunity to gain extra qualifications, industry insight, and real-world exposure through these partnerships. Additionally, majority of QIU lecturers have practical industry experience and they make it readily available to students.”

QIU has many facilities including modern laboratories where state-of-the-art experiments take place. Some of these experiments will lead to the creation of top-notch products and solutions in the areas of medicine, agriculture, technology and computing. Students at QIU have the chance to pursue their hobbies outside of the classroom by joining a wide range of clubs and societies on offer. These include dance, sports and games, nature, music, culture and community work.

QIU has a strong commitment to sustainability and it has aligned itself to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.

Mr. Goh concluded that: “QIU aspires to be a model research-led private university with strategic global linkages to deliver quality programmes and interdisciplinary research of international standing.”

QIU offers cutting-edge, market-driven undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the Medical and Allied Health Sciences, Pure and Applied Sciences, Engineering, Computer Technology, Business and Management, and Social Sciences fields that impact the local and global knowledge-economy. The university also promotes student-centred learning and impart holistic education through extracurricular activities and soft skills training such as clinical, industrial exposure and technopreneurship training.

QIU has six faculties namely: business and management, science and technology, social sciences, research and innovation, medicine and pharmacy. The university’s main aim is to provide theoretical and practical education, with the intention that its students will graduate, ready to take on the job market anywhere in the world.