UCSF Strengthens Its Role in Developing Sabah’s Human Capital

23 May 2026

KOTA KINABALU: University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) continues to strengthen its role as a state-owned higher education institution following a courtesy visit to the Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor, at his office in Menara Kinabalu on Thursday.

The UCSF delegation was led by the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Board of Governors, Datuk Dr Mohd Yaakub Haji Johari, together with UCSF Vice-Chancellor, Datuk Dr Rafiq Idris.

During the visit, Hajiji, who is also the Chancellor of UCSF, was briefed on the university’s latest developments, including its academic achievements, increased student enrolment, strengthening of research activities, and the institution’s strategic direction, alongside ongoing efforts to improve and reinforce university governance.

UCSF also informed that its July 2025 intake marked a significant milestone, recording the highest enrolment since its establishment, bringing the total number of active students to over 1,100 in 2025.

“As part of efforts to expand fields of study in line with the state’s development needs and current market demand, UCSF has introduced three new programmes, namely the Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Business Administration (MBA), and Foundation in Science."

“In addition to academic developments, UCSF also presented various research and intellectual initiatives currently being undertaken, including scholarly publications, the organisation of intellectual discourse on current issues, lecture series, seminars, and academic conferences,” said Dr Rafiq.

He added that the university also highlighted the active involvement of some of its researchers with the Centre for Development Studies and through their respective faculties in research activities, as well as in preparing policy briefs for the State Government, which are expected to provide valuable input and assist in the planning and formulation of Sabah’s development policies.

According to him, UCSF also proposed several new strategic courses aimed at meeting Sabah’s future development needs, particularly in producing a skilled and competitive workforce.

“At the same time, the university also sought Hajiji’s consent to fix the date for the UCSF Convocation Ceremony, scheduled to take place on 8 August 2026,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rafiq said the Chief Minister welcomed UCSF’s positive progress and emphasised that the university is a wholly state-owned institution that plays an important role in developing human capital in Sabah.

Hajiji noted that UCSF is not a profit-oriented entity but instead focuses on producing quality human capital to meet the state’s development needs.

“The state government fully supports all beneficial activities carried out by UCSF in strengthening the higher education sector and producing more high-quality graduates to support the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development agenda,” he said.