October 10, 2008, Kuala Lumpur ~ Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UniTAR), Islamic Banking and Finance Institute (IBFIM) and The Financial Planning Association of Malaysia (FPAM) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to introduce Islamic financial planning subjects into its Bachelor of Business Administration programme.

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Graduates of UniTAR’s Bachelor of Business Administration programme who have taken the relevant subject courses will be granted exemptions for up to 5 of the 6-moduled Islamic Financial Planner (IFP) qualification that has been recognized by the Securities Commission and Bank Negara Malaysia recently.

The ceremony was witnessed by the Minister of Higher Education, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and UniTAR’s Chairman of Board of Directors, Emeritus Prof. Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Syed Jalaludin Syed Salim.

In his speech, Dato’ Seri Khaled said the strategic partnership between UniTAR, IBFIM and FPAM could serve as an important platform to invest in the human capital necessary for the promotion of the Islamic financial industry worldwide.

He said this partnership would enable and facilitate the process of connecting knowledge communities in Malaysia with a long term goal of knowledge development and mutual collaboration in the pursuit of innovation and excellence in Islamic finance.

‘I believe that this collaboration will further promote and strengthen the agenda of human capital for new and knowledge development in Islamic Financial Planning and Banking, thus ensuring Malaysia’s place as a centre for Islamic finance and banking services in the region,’ he said.

‘Realizing the imperatives of incubating excellent qualities that would boost the employability of our graduates, UniTAR has taken initiatives, one of which is why we are here to witness today, to forge closer links with industries with the hope that this effort would result in mutual benefits to both parties and to the country in the long run,’ said the President and Vice Chancellor of UniTAR, Prof. Datuk. Dr. Md. Zabid Hj. Abd. Rashid in his welcoming address.

According to Datuk Md. Zabid, the university is delighted to team up with IBFIM and FPAM, as this effort is line with the university’s goal which is to promote internationalization through cooperation, collaborative networks and strategic alliances.

Mr Steve Teoh, the president of FPAM said, ‘The Islamic financial services industry has seen tremendous growth especially in the last few years. There is a strong demand by the industry for graduates with proper Islamic finance qualification. We hope our tie-up with UniTAR, will go some way to meet this demand as students graduate from this program. We are also proud to work with UniTAR, one of the leading private universities in the country.’

The MoU was signed by Datuk Md. Zabid, Mr Steve Teoh and IBFIM’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Dr. Adnan Alias.

Also present during the auspicious signing ceremony were the senior officials from UniTAR, IBFIM and FPAM.

Jointly issued by: Universiti Tun Abdul Razak, FPAM and IBFIM.

Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UniTAR) is a learning institution that aspires to render services with the highest of standards. As one of the first private learning institutions in Malaysia to receive SIRIM certification of the ISO 9001:2000, UniTAR had been awarded the prestigious MSC-status certification, which is a testament to the university’s seriousnes in assimilating technology and innovation in teaching and learning.

UniTAR’s highest priority is excellence in education for all its students. As such, the university strives to offer the highest quality of campus-based undergraduate and postgraduate education in a broad range of fields. We place a high value on knowledge, supporting our beliefs with student-centred learning, utilising only the best resources. Our academic programmes are approved by the Malaysian Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) and are developed to meet the high standards required by the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA).

www.unitar.edu.my

The Financial Planning Association of Malaysia (FPAM) was formed in 1999 and is a non-profit organization with a mission to raise the standards of competency and ethical practice of qualified financial planners in Malaysia as well as to educate the public on the benefits of financial planning. Since its inception, the association has grown tremendously. It now has 45 Charter and Corporate members and is over 10,000 individual members strong.

www.fpam.org.my

The Islamic Banking and Finance Institute Malaysia Sdn Bhd (IBFIM) is an industry-owned institute established 19 February 2001, with a mandate to produce well-trained and high calibre individuals and executives in the field of Islamic finance. IBFIM also provides inter-related services, namely training and education, advisory and consultancy, and research and development in Islamic finance.

www.ibfim.com

For further enquiries, contact:

UniTAR

Irwana b. Ismail
Tel: 76257250
Fax : 76277243
Email : irwana@unitar.edu.my

FPAM

Mahadzir Ahmad, IFP Program Manager
Tel: 2095 7713
Fax: 2095 1713
Email: mahadzir@fpam.org.my

IBFIM

Shahizan Md. Noh, Training and Professional Development Manager
Tel: 20311010 ext 549
Fax: 20269988
Email: shahizan@ibfim.com