TAPAH, The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, today officially opened the Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Perak Branch Tapah Campus here. The Raja Permaisuri of Perak, Tuanku Zara Salim, Raja Di Hilir Raja Iskandar Dzurkarnain Sultan Idris A'fifullah Shah, and Raja Puan Muda of Perak, Tunku Soraya Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, were among those present at the event. Also present were Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad and Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir. In his speech, Zambry said the establishment of the UiTM Tapah Campus provided employment opportunities, particularly for young staff and lecturers, bringing fresh energy to the campus. 'This factor gives UiTM an advantage because, in addition to physical attributes and educational quality, the spirit of our educators and students will bring glory to this institution,' he said. Earlier, UiTM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Shahrin Sahib@Sahibuddin said in his speech that the campus inauguration was highly significant, n ot only for its historical value but also as a strong foundation for UiTM's true role as a science and technology-based university. He added that UiTM had demonstrated various successes and excellence at the international level. 'For instance, through the QS World University Rankings 2024, Universiti Teknologi MARA has climbed 102 places to rank 555th in the world and 10th best in Malaysia. 'Additionally, Universiti Teknologi MARA achieved the 98th position and listed among the top 100 universities in Asia in the QS Asia University Rankings 2024,' he said. A total of 450 students were the first cohort to begin their studies at the campus, which commenced operations on Dec 27, 2010 before becoming fully operational on April 21, 2014, with the capacity to accommodate 5,000 students with 2,500 accommodation capacities. Currently, the campus offers nine main programmes at Faculty of Computer Science and Mathematics, Faculty of Accounting and Faculty of Applied Sciences. Source: BERNAMA News Agency