Latest news with #UTS
Borneo Post
8 hours ago
- Business
- Borneo Post
UTS key catalyst in Sibu's transformation, says Dr Annuar
Dr Annuar speaks during the UTS Appreciation Dinner in Sibu on Tuesday. SIBU (July 23): Universiti Teknologi Sarawak (UTS) is not just an institution of higher learning but a major driver of Sibu's urban and socioeconomic development, said Deputy State Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development, Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee. Speaking at the UTS Appreciation Dinner here on Tuesday, Dr Annuar said the university has come a long way since its early days as a university college with just 1,100 students, and now boasts an enrolment of over 4,000 students, with full capacity of 5,000 expected by year's end. 'When I was appointed as chairman, there were doubts and perceptions that UTS wasn't for the poor. 'That motivated us to change the narrative and improve accessibility. So, we introduced a 50 per cent bursary for all Sarawakian students, and it worked,' he said. Dr Annuar, who also chairs the UTS Board of Directors, said the initiative had a significant impact, especially in encouraging enrolment among rural and B40 students. The percentage of students from low-income families rose from just 8 per cent to nearly 40 per cent within a few years, he revealed. He expressed his hope that UTS would continue to act as a growth engine for Sibu, drawing a parallel to how Sunway has evolved into a thriving hub due to the presence of a university. 'Imagine 10,000 students living in Sibu, that's thousands renting homes, dining out, and boosting local businesses. A university can transform a town,' he said. He also disclosed ongoing efforts to attract international students and strengthen academic pathways from diploma to degree levels, noting that UTS is steadily gaining momentum to become one of the nation's top institutions. In a landmark announcement, Dr Annuar said the Sarawak government will offer free tertiary education at UTS for Sarawakian students starting next year. 'We never promised free education, but we made it happen. No other state, no matter how wealthy, is doing this. It's a historic milestone,' he said, lauding the bold vision of Sarawak Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg. Dr Annuar concluded by expressing his pride in seeing UTS grow and evolve into a major force for the future of Sarawak. 'My greatest satisfaction is witnessing UTS grow from 1,000 to 5,000 students and securing the support needed to make higher education accessible to all. This university is no longer just a campus, it's a key engine for Sarawak's future.' he said. Among those present at the event were UTS Vice-Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Khairuddin Abd Hamid, Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili, and Zone 4 Sibu Fire chief Andy Alie. Dr Annuar Rapaee lead Sibu Universiti Teknologi Sarawak UTS
ABC News
2 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Uni execs rack up $140,000 on trip as staff face sack
As the cash-strapped University of Technology Sydney (UTS) prepares to sack 10 per cent of its staff, five senior executives have spent more than $140,000 on flights, accommodation and food during a trip to the USA in May, leaked documents have revealed.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
University of Technology Sydney spends $140,000 on five executives for US alumni trip, some in business class, leaked documents show
As the cash-strapped University of Technology Sydney (UTS) prepares to sack 10 per cent of its staff, five senior executives have spent more than $140,000 on flights, accommodation and food during a trip to the USA in May, leaked documents have revealed. The documents show three of the executives flew business class with flight costs, including US domestic flights, ranging from $21,000 to $23,000 each. They include Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Parfitt, who is leading a cost-cutting drive called Operational Sustainability Initiative (OSI), which aims to save the university $100 million annually, as well as two senior deans. The cost breakdowns were released under freedom of information laws and then leaked to ABC News ahead of their public release. The accommodation bill for these staff totalled between $3,000 and $5,000 each. The university would not say how long the trip was, but the two main alumni events in Los Angeles and New York were two days apart. In a statement, a UTS spokesperson said alumni events were "important" and involvement of senior leaders was decided "depending on need". "The 2025 visit and functions were particularly important to nurture during a time of flux in US policies towards funding and collaboration with the higher education sector," the spokesperson said. Earlier this month, ABC News reported a union survey had revealed one third of UTS staff were suffering psychological distress, as the university prepared to axe 400 staff. OSI is being led by consultants KPMG at a cost of $5 million, which the university said was "standard practice". The leaked documents show two other executives were flown to the United States, one on economy at a cost of $7,200 and another on premium economy at a cost of $13,995. The trip was to host three alumni events including one held at sunset on the 71st floor of the Los Angeles Intercontinental and the second at New York City's historic Penn Club on "clubhouse row". A selection from the menu at Intercontinental included Humboldt fog goat cheese, bacon-wrapped sea scallops and Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc, with the total for the alumni reception hosting 30 people, and leadership dinner of 11 people, costing $13,728. The total cost of the alumni reception at the Penn Club of 44 people, and leadership lunch of 15 people, cost $12,288, and included items like blackened shrimp and seared fillet of Beef Forestiere. As well as alumni engagement, the documents said the vice-chancellor and his team engaged in "thought leadership sessions", and 12 one-on-one meetings with alumni and donors. The total cost of the food, accommodation, flights, catering, transport and food for the five staff totalled $140,119.09 according to the leaked documents. "These visits provide valuable opportunities to deepen relationships with alumni, engage with donors and partners, explore new avenues for collaboration and identify investment and partnership opportunities," the UTS spokesperson said. "They also help extend philanthropic support, benefiting both our students and the university." National Tertiary Education Union National President Dr Alison Barnes told ABC News the spending was "deeply shocking". "It's deeply shocking at a time when a university is crushing the livelihoods of a significant proportion of staff," Dr Barnes said. University governance was thrust into the spotlight earlier this year when a senate inquiry was launched to investigate transparency, accountability and effectiveness across the sector. There have also been revelations of wage theft at some institutions, with universities forced to repay hundreds of millions of dollars. It is not yet known if Senate hearings will resume later this year in the new parliament but an interim report alleged "systemic … non-compliance with workplace laws". Labor Senator Tony Sheldon, who chaired the inquiry, said the revelations about UTS came as the institution was "spending millions" on accountants to slash jobs and cut courses. "It's vital for university administrations to be thoughtful about their decisions, particularly if, like UTS, they are proposing to cut hundreds of jobs," Mr Sheldon said. "Staff are living with uncertainty, and students are being told to expect less." The university sector is currently seeking greater government funding for teaching and research with significant job losses looming at several universities. "There is no doubt that Australian universities need greater funding but when you see university executives taking business class flights, it cuts against those arguments for greater funding," Dr Barnes said. "Universities really need that cash but they need it to be spent on teaching, on learning, and student development." Australian vice-chancellors are also some of the best remunerated in the world with the average annual salary across Australia's 38 public universities now exceeding $1 million.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
UTS mobile app gains traction among commuters for purchasing season passes and train tickets in the city
The Unreserved Ticketing system (UTS) has been gaining momentum among the suburban commuters for purchasing seasonal passes as well as train tickets in the city. The long queues of commuters waiting to purchase tickets in front of counters have been slowly decreasing, thereby removing the pressure on the railway officials to have additional ticket counters in several railway stations. The UTS launched by Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS) has made vast strides in digital purchasing of tickets without the need to wait at the counters, as the mobile ticketing sales through UTS has almost touched 15% in Chennai division. In the previous financial year the mobile ticketing sales had only 12.30% of the total tickets sold. M. Senthamil Selvan, Chief Public Relations Officer of Southern Railway, said the UTS app has come a long way since its launch, app with several improvements being made, particularly with regard to recharging of the wallet. In Chennai division the number of tickets issued through the mobile app stands at 16 lakh for the month of June against a total of 1.12 crore train tickets sold. Whereas the average sales of mobile tickets last year stood at only 13 lakh against the monthly total sales of 1.08 crore. The UTS is not only used for purchasing suburban train tickets and seasonal passes but also unreserved tickets for travelling in mail and express trains. The Southern Railway through the promotion of UTS and the installation of the automatic ticket vending machines (ATVMs) in several railway stations including Mambalam, Ambattur, Guindy, Beach, Moore Market complex station, and Egmore, has reduced the need for opening additional ticket counters mainly during peak hours and make better use of the ticket issuing staff by posting in lesser important railway stations in the city. S. Amarnath, who travels on the west section from MMC to Thiruninravur, said before the launch of UTS, the ticket counters were packed at the MMC railway station. Tension ran high among commuters for getting, and heated exchanges at the counters were common. But since the launch of the UTS the tickets could be easily purchased either through the mobile app or by scanning the QR code fixed at the ticket counters through the app. While the UTS has been operating seamlessly to help commuters purchase season passes and train tickets, the commuters find the mobile app not very customer friendly for the commuters having seasonal passes to travel in other routes. S. Purushoth, a regular traveller on the Mass Rapid Transit system (MRTS), rued that though the season passes are issued on the app, it is shown as a separate ticket, which is a drawback. In case of a commuter having a season ticket from Perungudi to Beach and wants to travel till Avadi, he cannot use the season ticket and instead has to purchase a new ticket from Perungudi to Avadi. The suburban commuters also want the QR code to be pasted at the entrance of the railway station in addition at the ticket counters as it would help save the commuters to make a long walk to the counters in some railway stations.
SBS Australia
14-07-2025
- Health
- SBS Australia
Not so sweet: explaining the impact of sugar substitutes on the environment
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . In 2025, if you're dodging sugar to spare your health -you likely aren't going without the sweet stuff altogether. There are readily-available sugar-free soft drinks and even lollies - in fact, more than ever before. Food manufacturing giants have pivoted to artificially sweetened goods - but is zero sugar, zero harm? Not according to a new study in the Journal of Hazardous Materials - and the name of the publication gives a clue about the results. Dr Xuan Li from the University of Technology, Sydney, says it is the environment that is paying the price for a rise in artificial sweeteners. "So whatever we are eating will eventually discharge into wastewater and become concentrated in wastewater treatment plants. And our treatment plants are not easily able to degrade them as well. So they will be directly discharged into the environment. And this will gradually lead to the accumulation in the environment and eventually effect all the water creatures." The U-T-S study has found some of these fake or alternative sugar substances are building up in waterways around the world. They are designed to not be fully absorbed by the body – and for the same reason, they don't break down as easily in waterways or on the land. They become 'forever chemicals' that build in concentration and potential toxicity. And that is a bigger problem. Why? Because in an ecosystem, all organisms are connected. "Some fish may die early because of this. So in a fish it is like the bottom line is anything changing the fish will eventually impact the upper food chain and impact the other creatures. Like we have found algae can be impacted and they all of a sudden bloom and all of a sudden die, because of the build-up of artificial sweeteners." Not all sweeteners are created equal, and one scores worst in terms of its lack of ability to decompose - Sucrose - which is marketed as Splenda in supermarkets around the world. The sweeteners, saccharin and cyclamate particles were comparatively easy to remove from water. This isn't the first time sweeteners have come under fire for their environmental impact - major studies out of the E-U in recent years. Dr Li says its impossible to know how long it will take for the build-up of these microtoxins to have a detrimental impact on humans - and to know how severe that impact could be. 'We are talking a lot about P-FAS a lot in recent years, but actually artificial sweeteners have a similar accumulation pathway like PFAS in our environment. We just have not got enough attention on it. This is also partially because we have currently very mixed results, regarding the impact of artificial sweeteners.' There have been conflicting findings in numerous global studies about the impact of sugar substitutes we eat and drink. In March 2023, Food Standards Australia New Zealand reviewed the intense sweeteners permitted for use in the Food Standards Code. "A range of different sources of evidence were included such as sweetener use information and dietary exposure assessments. Steviol glycosides were reviewed in detail which included an analytical survey and risk assessment. No public health and safety issues were identified as a result of the review." But Dr Li says more research needs to happen - now - for the planet, ecosystem and our health. Meanwhile, we each have a choice. "As consumers ourselves, we can think twice when we are trying to purchase a product. I know artificial sweeteners can sound very tempting if you're trying to control your blood sugar level, your body weight. But the question is, do we really understand them well enough? If not, maybe the conventional sugary stuff will be a better solution."
