PUTRAJAYA – Prof Datuk Husaini Omar has been appointed director-general of the Higher Education Ministry, effective February 1.
Minister Datuk Seri Noraini Ahmad, in a statement today, said Husaini, 57, who was Malaysian Qualifications Agency chief executive prior to this, succeeds Prof Datuk Seri Mohamed Mustafa Ishak, who retired on January 10.
Husaini holds a Bachelor of Science in geology (hons) from Universiti Malaya in 1988, a master’s in engineering geology from University of Leeds, the United Kingdom, in 1994, and a Doctor of Engineering in system engineering from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) in 2002.
Before starting his career as a lecturer at UPM’s Engineering Faculty in 1996, he had eight years’ experience as a geological engineer.
“I am confident that with his expertise, experience and outstanding achievements, he will continue to improve the performance of higher education in the country, in line with the aspirations of the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2015-2025,” said Noraini.
Husaini’s career path in academic administration began when he was appointed UPM’s deputy vice-chancellor (research and innovation) on February 15, 2017, before taking on the post of Universiti Malaysia Kelantan vice-chancellor from January 1, 2018 to January 6 the following year.
He has published over 200 papers in the form of journals, proceedings, books, and technical reports on his research.
He also supervised more than 20 postgraduate students, and some of his research outcomes have been patented in Malaysia and the United States.
Noraini expressed her deep appreciation and gratitude to Mustafa for his services and contributions during his tenure as director-general. – Bernama, January 29, 2021
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