TAN SRI MUHYIDDIN MOHD YASSIN BEST THESIS AWARD RESTRUCTURED

L-R: ISDEV Director Prof Muhammad Syukri Salleh, President of Malaysian Senate Tan Sri Abu Zahar Nika Ujang, member of Nurul Yaqeen Foundation's Board of Director Dato' Dr Ismail Ibrahim, and Foundation's Director Nor Zanah Jamari after the meeting

As an effort to improve the management and raise a clearer position of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin Best Thesis Award at national level, the organisation of the Award is now being restructured as follows:

1. Pending on the approval of relevant authority, the name of the Award is now suggested to be called National Best Thesis Award (Anugerah Tesis Terbaik Negara or Anugerah Tesis Terbaik Kebangsaan);

2. The Central Committee of the Award is consisted of prominent Professors from 5 established universities, viz. Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and International Islamic University Malaysia, as well as the Director of the Foundation, Puan Nor Zanah Jamari and Foundation's member Board of Director Dato' Dr Ismail Ibrahim, and chaired by the President of the Senate Malaysia Tan Sri Abu Zahar Nika Ujang.

3. The management of the Award is now wholly handled by Nurul Yaqeen Foundation, not co-handled by ISDEV anymore. ISDEV requested not to involve so as to allow a smooth prevalence of objectivity and avoidance of conflict of interest during the assessment process of the nominated theses. In consequence, all theses to be nominated for the 2011 Award therefore have to be sent to the Foundation at No. 4, Jln 3/27F, Desa Setapak Wangsa Maju, 53300, Kuala Lumpur, and not to ISDEV anymore. For further queries, contact 03-414 22902 (telephone), or 03-414 23713 (fax),

The above restructuring of the Award has been agreed in a meeting between ISDEV and Nurul Yaqeen Foundation at the office of the President of the Senate Malaysia yesterday, Tuesday 12 April 2011. In the meeting, ISDEV was represented by ISDEV Director Professor Muhammad Syukri Salleh while Nurul Yaqeen Foundation by Foundation's Director Puan Nor Zanah Jamari and Board of Director's member Dato' Dr Ismail Ibrahim. The meeting was chaired by Tan Sri Abu Zahar Nika Ujang who is also a member of the Foundation's Board of Director and was entrusted by the Chairman of the Foundation, Deputy Prime Minister YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin Hj. Mohd Yassin, to oversee the Award.

ISDEV agreed to the restructuring of the Award for the sake of Islam and graduate students who are researching on Islam from their respective specialisations. ISDEV greatly hopes that, through the restructuring, Islam is increasingly honoured both by Muslims and non-Muslims, and high quality theses on Islam could be acknowledged and appreciated accordingly. The new structure is expected to be able to raise the hopes more efficiently, God-willing, as opposed to the limited financial and infrastructural ability of ISDEV.