Shahputra Is Now University College Shahputra
Shahputra is proud to announce its upgrade to university status by the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia. Formerly known as Shahputra College, it is one of foremost and reputable private higher education institutions in the East Coast, with a track record dating back to its inception in 1997.
Kolej Universiti Shahputra had a modest beginning, starting off as Institut Fitra on 27th of December, 1997, which was owned by Graduate Achievement Studies Centre Sdn. Bhd. (GASC), a 100% Bumiputra private company.
Initially, Institut Fitra rented 2 lots of 3-storey building at A9-A11, Sri Dagangan Fasa 2, Jalan Tun Ismail 9, 25200 Kuantan nearby Berjaya Megamall, Kuantan.The building housed Institute Fitra’s office, two lecture rooms, a small hall, and one computer lab with 20 computers.
Among the first batch at Institute Fitra were the first cohorts of students from Matrikulasi TESL UPM and Matrikulasi Perakaunan UPM, all 108 students of them enrolled in June 1998.
Due to its expansion, Institute Fitra has shifted to an 8-hectare plot of land in Pekan, Pahang. Then, the Kuantan City Campus was opened in 2003. In early 2011, Kolej Shahputra has been upgraded to University College Shahputra (UCSA) by the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT). Currently, the student population at UCSA numbers around 4000 people.
The invitation letter to apply for upgrade was sent in January 13, 2011 by YB Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Minister of Higher Education to Dato' Dr Hj Azman Zaini Abd Ghanie, Group CEO of Shahputra Education Group and co-founder of Shahputra. Subsequently in April 2011, Shahputra is now officially a university college.
Dato' Dr Hj Azman expresses, "We are happy to receive University College status which will further enhance our standing and enable us to complement the education sector in this country. This is a show of confidence and recognition from the Ministry of Higher Education and underlines our acceptance by the public as a respected institution of higher learning.”
“As one of Pahang’s and East Coast’s most reputable private education institutions, Shahputra would like to play a strong role in developing Malaysia's human resource capital. We will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Higher Education towards placing Malaysia as the centre of excellence in education." According to Dato Dr Hj Azman, UCSA will continue to offer high quality education at affordable cost so that tertiary education would be accessible to all. He maintains that this has always been central to what they do at Shahputra. This will ensure that excellence is rewarded and talented graduates with entrepreneurial and leadership skills, regardless of their economic standing, are nurtured so that they can drive success in the decades to come.
"Shahputra believes in creating an enjoyable work environment where staff are nurtured and provided with opportunities to realize their potential. Highly qualified people from diverse fields have joined our academic staff because they believe in the Shahputra brand and our mission. This has enhance our capabilities in our pursuit towards becoming among the best tertiary education centres in the region.”
Building on over 10 years of experience and collaborations with renowned partner universities, University College Shahputra also offers students the opportunity to obtain prestigious degrees through its own home-grown degree programmes at undergraduate level. Shahputra offers a comprehensive range of tertiary level programmes, fully accredited by MQA and professional bodies in Allied Health courses such as Diploma in Nursing, Diploma in Pharmacy, Diploma in Biotechnology, Diploma in Medical Lab Technology (MLA), Diploma in Medical Assistant (MA) and Cambridge GCE A Levels, as well as MQA-accredited collaboration programmes with UiTM, UTM and UPM. More programmes are in the planned in the future.
Thus, it is only natural that after more than ten years in existence, Shahputra has deservedly attained its new status as a university college and would continue to grow. From now on, the only way is up, and sure enough, UCSA is on its way up.
By nazarin nordin University College Shahputra physics lecturer Cambridge GCE A Level
Master of Science in Advanced Material (Superconductivity) UITM.
