Latest news with #Azlinda
The Star
22-06-2025
- Science
- The Star
Major boost for M'sian research
Way to go: Prof Azlinda and Bocquet (third and fourth from right, respectively) at the launch of the agreement in Putrajaya. HIGHER education has gone beyond merely imparting knowledge in lecture halls. For years, academics have been expected not only to teach but also to conduct research – driving innovation and scientific discovery while delivering real-world benefits in their respective fields. In a bid to boost the global visibility and accessibility of research from Malaysian researchers, the Higher Education Electronic Resources Consortium (KONSEPt) – the Malaysian consortium for higher education and research institutions – recently signed a landmark national open access agreement with Springer Nature. This marked the first national transformative agreement (TA) in Malaysia and among South-East Asian countries. Following the agreement, researchers from all 20 of Malaysia's public universities will be able to publish their work as open access in more than 2,000 hybrid journals across the Springer Nature portfolio. Simultaneously, students and faculty will gain full reading access to more than 2,300 journal titles. The move demonstrates the growing momentum across economies of all sizes for open access publishing, and the increasing global shift towards open science and research – where researchers are better supported in publishing openly, expanding the visibility and impact of their work, and fostering greater international collaboration. Higher Education director general Prof Datuk Dr Azlinda Azman said the initiative supports the ministry's digitalisation and internationalisation agenda, as well as the National Knowledge Infrastructure framework. 'This is a pivotal step in Malaysia's commitment to open science and research transparency, further enhancing international visibility, impact and collaboration,' she said in a press release dated June 4. KONSEPt chairperson Mazmin Mat Akhir said the TA marks a new chapter for academic libraries, not only in providing access to research but also in facilitating open access publishing. 'It empowers universities to enhance the impact of their research and strengthens global knowledge-sharing initiatives,' she said. Springer Nature Japan, South-East Asia and Oceania vice president (sales) and managing director Antoine Bocquet said the agreement demonstrates the vital role that TAs play as a sustainable and scalable model for all regions moving towards an open access future. 'In recent years, we have seen a growing demand in Malaysia –both in terms of downloads where content has been accessible, and in denials where it has not. 'Malaysia has already made significant progress towards achieving open access for its researchers, with 57% of all Malaysian research published as open access by 2022. This agreement builds on that momentum,' he said. The latest agreement is the seventh that Springer Nature has signed within Asia, following Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan. The publisher signed its first TA in 2014 and now has over 80 TAs in place, supporting researchers from over 3,700 institutions.
New Straits Times
15-06-2025
- Health
- New Straits Times
MOHE unveils virtual counsellor 'AIMI' to support students' mental health
LUMUT: A virtual counsellor capable of interacting with individuals facing mental health challenges, known as AI Menyantuni Insan (AIMI), has been introduced for the first time by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in conjunction with the Perak Madani Rakyat Programme (PMR) 2025 held at Lumut Waterfront here. Although still in the prototype phase and based on artificial intelligence (AI), AIMI is capable of being a listener and a supportive companion in addressing mental health issues, particularly among students in higher learning institutions. Higher Education Director-General Prof Datuk Dr Azlinda Azman said the prototype phase of the AI application is a new and innovative approach to tackling stress, anxiety and depression among students in tertiary education. "We know that in Malaysia there are three million people suffering from mental health issues, but we only have 18,000 certified counsellors. "That's why this application was developed, to help those with mental health problems, especially students in higher education institutions. "At the very least, when someone is experiencing stress, anxiety or depression, AIMI can act as a frontliner for them to express their emotions by communicating and interacting through the AI developed," she said here today. Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, during a visit to the MOHE booth, had the opportunity to receive a briefing on the progress of the AIMI prototype after officiating the Closing Ceremony of Perak PMR 2025. The virtual application 'AIMI', portrayed as a 'woman' with the ability to speak in both Malay and English, is one of the efforts in AI development following the launch of the AI Faculty at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia last year. Azlinda said that through the AI Faculty, MOHE has also established the Malaysia AI Consortium involving both public and private universities in the country, with each institution having its own specific area of focus. At Perak PMR 2025, MOHE showcased the AIMI prototype to the public for testing and to gather feedback on any needs or features to be improved before its expected launch at the Festival of Ideas in Putrajaya this November. Azlinda said the creation of the virtual application involved the collaboration of various experts, including those in creative design, medicine, psychology and strategic planning. "The beauty of our AI counsellor prototype is that it has been developed by experts among local lecturers who can provide guidance shaped by the values of our own society. "This AI was developed by MOHE through the Department of Higher Education and public universities, with Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Perak Branch spearheading the mental health AI counsellor prototype project, in collaboration with other local universities such as Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Universiti Zainal Abidin," she said.
The Sun
15-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
MOHE unveils virtual counsellor ‘AIMI' to support students' mental health
LUMUT: A virtual counsellor capable of interacting with individuals facing mental health challenges, known as AI Menyantuni Insan (AIMI), has been introduced for the first time by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in conjunction with the Perak MADANI Rakyat Programme (PMR) 2025 held at Lumut Waterfront here. Although still in the prototype phase and based on artificial intelligence (AI), AIMI is capable of being a listener and a supportive companion in addressing mental health issues, particularly among students in higher learning institutions. Higher Education Director-General Prof Datuk Dr Azlinda Azman said the prototype phase of the AI application is a new and innovative approach to tackling stress, anxiety and depression among students in tertiary education. 'We know that in Malaysia there are three million people suffering from mental health issues, but we only have 18,000 certified counsellors. That's why this application was developed — to help those with mental health problems, especially students in higher education institutions. 'At the very least, when someone is experiencing stress, anxiety or depression, AIMI can act as a frontliner for them to express their emotions by communicating and interacting through the AI developed,' she said here today. Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, during a visit to the MOHE booth, had the opportunity to receive a briefing on the progress of the AIMI prototype after officiating the Closing Ceremony of Perak PMR 2025. The virtual application 'AIMI', portrayed as a 'woman' with the ability to speak in both Malay and English, is one of the efforts in AI development following the launch of the AI Faculty at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia last year. Azlinda said that through the AI Faculty, MOHE has also established the Malaysia AI Consortium involving both public and private universities in the country, with each institution having its own specific area of focus. At Perak PMR 2025, MOHE showcased the AIMI prototype to the public for testing and to gather feedback on any needs or features to be improved before its expected launch at the Festival of Ideas in Putrajaya this November. Azlinda noted that the creation of the virtual application involved the collaboration of various experts, including those in creative design, medicine, psychology and strategic planning. 'The beauty of our AI counsellor prototype is that it has been developed by experts among local lecturers who can provide guidance shaped by the values of our own society. 'This AI was developed by MOHE through the Department of Higher Education and public universities, with Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Perak Branch spearheading the mental health AI counsellor prototype project, in collaboration with other local universities such as Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Universiti Zainal Abidin,' she said.
The Sun
15-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
MOHE Unveils AIMI AI Virtual Counsellor for Mental Health
LUMUT: A virtual counsellor capable of interacting with individuals facing mental health challenges, known as AI Menyantuni Insan (AIMI), has been introduced for the first time by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in conjunction with the Perak MADANI Rakyat Programme (PMR) 2025 held at Lumut Waterfront here. Although still in the prototype phase and based on artificial intelligence (AI), AIMI is capable of being a listener and a supportive companion in addressing mental health issues, particularly among students in higher learning institutions. Higher Education Director-General Prof Datuk Dr Azlinda Azman said the prototype phase of the AI application is a new and innovative approach to tackling stress, anxiety and depression among students in tertiary education. 'We know that in Malaysia there are three million people suffering from mental health issues, but we only have 18,000 certified counsellors. That's why this application was developed — to help those with mental health problems, especially students in higher education institutions. 'At the very least, when someone is experiencing stress, anxiety or depression, AIMI can act as a frontliner for them to express their emotions by communicating and interacting through the AI developed,' she said here today. Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, during a visit to the MOHE booth, had the opportunity to receive a briefing on the progress of the AIMI prototype after officiating the Closing Ceremony of Perak PMR 2025. The virtual application 'AIMI', portrayed as a 'woman' with the ability to speak in both Malay and English, is one of the efforts in AI development following the launch of the AI Faculty at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia last year. Azlinda said that through the AI Faculty, MOHE has also established the Malaysia AI Consortium involving both public and private universities in the country, with each institution having its own specific area of focus. At Perak PMR 2025, MOHE showcased the AIMI prototype to the public for testing and to gather feedback on any needs or features to be improved before its expected launch at the Festival of Ideas in Putrajaya this November. Azlinda noted that the creation of the virtual application involved the collaboration of various experts, including those in creative design, medicine, psychology and strategic planning. 'The beauty of our AI counsellor prototype is that it has been developed by experts among local lecturers who can provide guidance shaped by the values of our own society. 'This AI was developed by MOHE through the Department of Higher Education and public universities, with Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Perak Branch spearheading the mental health AI counsellor prototype project, in collaboration with other local universities such as Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Universiti Zainal Abidin,' she said.
The Star
24-05-2025
- General
- The Star
Carnival a gateway to higher education
GEORGE TOWN: The Jom Masuk U 2025 Carnival serves as a strategic platform for delivering comprehensive information on access to higher education institutions. According to Higher Education director-general Datuk Prof Dr Azlinda Azman, the carnival is specially designed to achieve the Fourth Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations, which calls on all parties to ensure inclusive, equitable and quality access to higher education, regardless of background. 'This carnival provides an opportunity for the community, especially students who have completed their SPM, STPM, diploma, foundation and matriculation, to receive detailed guidance and up-to-date information from public and private universities as well as related agencies participating in the exhibition,' she said in her speech at Universiti Sains Malaysia's main student hall here yesterday, Bernama reported. With technological advancements, rapid globalisation and changes in the job market, the country's higher education system needs to transform and adapt, Azlinda said. The two-day programme has attracted 56 exhibitors, including leading public universities and private institutions.
