KLANG, 7 December 2024 – Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam has successfully launched the Service-Learning Malaysia University for Society (SULAM) program in collaboration with the residents of Kampung Budiman. The program aimed to provide in-depth exposure and empower the knowledge of information technology to the village community. This is in line with the recognition of Kampung Budiman as a ‘Smart Village’ by the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) in 2024, which emphasizes the importance of increasing digital literacy in the local community.
The program organized by the College of Computing, Informatics and Mathematics (KPPIM), UiTM Shah Alam took place at Balai Raya Kampung Budiman, Meru, Klang. It involved the participation of more than 80 villagers of various ages, as well as 65 students from the Bachelor of Computer Science Netcentric Computing (CS251), Bachelor of Information Systems Business Computing (CS264) and Bachelor of Information Systems Engineering (CS266) serving as program facilitator. The event was officiated by Prof. Ts. Dr. Hj Wan Abdul Rahim Wan Mohd Isa, Dean (Academic and International), executing the duties of KPPIM Assistant Vice Chancellor.
Among the main activities of this program is the community website-building workshop. It trains participants on the know-hows of Google Sites and the basic steps in website development. The Kampung Budiman community website was also developed as a platform to share information such as village activities, committee members, as well as local business promotions. The construction of this website is seen as a positive step in opening economic opportunities for local businesses for market outreach and business promotion.
Explorace activity was also conducted with participants comprising young children and teenagers. It has several checkpoints aimed at testing participants’ knowledge of information technology (IT), such as computer layout, cybersecurity, and quizzes related to IT terminologies and equipment. In addition, a Mobile Legends competition involving 8 groups of participants was also organized.
According to Encik Nik Muhammad Yasir bin Ghazali, one of the workshop participants, this SULAM program has a great impact on the village community. He said, “This program adds to the community’s knowledge in the use of current technology.” Meanwhile, the Head of Kampung Budiman, Tuan Imran Bin Khairul, also emphasized the importance of this program by stating, “The SULAM 2024 program is very important to ensure that the knowledge of the villagers is comparable to the rapid technological progress, which is usually not accepted by the village community.”.
The SULAM 2024 program is one of the initiatives that aims to empower the community through volunteer activities. Through this program, UiTM students are given the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained while helping to improve the well-being of the local community. This initiative is also in line with the Fourth and Eleventh Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Quality Education and Sustainable Cities and Communities, as well as supporting the vision of Malaysia Madani.
Authors: Muhammad Luqman Bin Ariffin dan Saidatul Rahah Binti Hamidi