By Saiful Bahri Kamaruddin
Pix Izwan Azman

BANGI, 14 Feb 2014 – The National University of Malaysia (UKM) is to carry out joint studies in multi-literacy and multi-lingualism as well as research relating to speech and hearing in neurosciences and linguistics with the University of Reading (UoR), United Kingdom.

An MoU between the two universities was signed here today to provide for collaborations between UKM’s Faculties of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSSK) and Health Sciences (FSK) with UoR’s Centre for Literary and Multilingualism (CeLM) and Centre for Intergrative Neurosciences and Neurodynamics (CINN).

The Deans of FSSK and FSK Prof Dr Hazita Azman and Prof Dr Siti Zamratol Maisarah signed for UKM while UoR was represented by its Directors of CeLM and CINN, Prof Jeanine Treffers-Daller and Prof Douglas Saddy respectively.

The signing was witnessed by UKM Director of International Relations Centre Prof Dr Imran Ho Abdullah, UoR’s professor for Multilingualism and Language Development Prof Theodorus Marinis and Assoc Prof Dr Daisy Powell.

Profs Treffers-Daller and Saddy said UKM has the relevant research expertise and data on linguistics and neurosciences that will complement research in Britain.

Also present were Prof Dr Fuad Mat Jali, the Deputy Dean of Postgraduate and International Relations and Assoc Prof Dr Noraini Ibrahim, the Deputy Dean of Research and Innovation.

In his welcoming remarks at the brief signing ceremony, Prof Imran Ho said UKM is widening its collaborative and multi-discipline research overseas and noted UoR’s interest in multilingualism and neurosciences of language-learning, which UKM has the expertise.

He hoped that the collaboration would be the start of more joint research, as there were none between the two universities at present.

Prof Dr Hazita later told the UKM News Portal that the British university was interested in the dynamics of Malaysia’s multi-lingual society and the impact on its people.

She said Prof Treffers-Daller wanted to do research on how English is learnt in Malaysia and its enormous importance as a language of commerce despite being ranked second to the national language.

Meanwhile, Prof Siti Zamratol said that the Health Sciences Faculty will be carrying out research with UoR on speech and hearing disabilities, including how stroke patients can start learning languages.

She said their British counterparts wanted access to UKM’s data on Neurosciences and Multilingualism.