Universiti Teknologi MARA through the Academy of Contemporary Islamic Studies (ACIS), has successfully organised their first International Islamic Talent (i-Talent) 2021 on 29th-30th May 2021. The large scaled international event was conducted virtually with an overwhelming response given by the public from all over the world as it reached over 7,000 views on Facebook.
The competition captured the competitive spirit of the youths across the globe with 210 student entries received from diverse institutions including 19 Public and Private Higher Educational Institutions. The event was also well received by all over the country, as well as international students with entries from Al-Azhar University, Egypt and Universitas Islam Nahdlatul Ulama Jepara (UNISNU), Indonesia. Throughout the event, students showcased their amazing talent, skills and charismatic personalities through six categories of the competition which were Al-Quran Recitation, Al-Quran Memorisation, Ikon Al-Fateh Discourse, Contemporary Nasyid Art, Jawi Calligraphy Art and Short Films.
Despite being in the Movement Control Order phase due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, i-Talent Competition 2021 was a success due to the collaborative effort by the Sekretariat Mahasiswa Fakulti (SMF), Muamalat Intellectual Society (MIS) and Halal Industry Management Society (HIMS). This kind of programme is specially designed to expose student’s talents and soft skills, in addition to academic excellence to achieve holistic objective of education. The event was sponsored by PDI Publication, Berjaya Land Berhad, Koperasi Islah Malaysia Berhad (KIMB) and Kelab Suri Berdikari Selangor.
I-Talent 2021 represented an opportunity for the students to shine their potential and a chance for them to be seen at their creative best in a global arena. This is inline with the aims of nurturing a holistic and comprehensive human development skills among the youths as it helps build cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills.
The competition received positive feedbacks from the participants as it boosted their self-confidence and further enhanced their leadership qualities and innovative skills. Indeed, as the future leaders of the country such skills need to be further developed among the young generation as they are the aspiration of the country. Their willingness to participate virtually should be applauded as it has shown their resilience as youths in adapting to the changes brought forward by the pandemic.
Due recognition for the success of the event should also be given to the UiTM executive management, in particular the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation, Profesor Ts Dr Mohd Nazip Suratman, who is acting as the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Student Affairs) as he officiated the Closing Ceremony and I-Talent 2021 virtual Prize Award Ceremony.