Judo, meaning ‘gentle way’, is a system of unarmed combat created as an eclectic martial art. Doing away with weapons and strikes, and emphasizing free sparring (randori) rather than pre-arranged forms (kata), it distinguished itself from its jujutsu predecessors and led to its adoption as a primary martial art by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Serving as a constable at the District Control Centre of the Petaling Jaya District Police Headquarters is a judo champion and returning alumna studying on MORE Scholarship from Management and Science University (MSU).
Nor Izzatul Fazlia Mohamad Tahir had acquired close to the 20 total that she has accumulated to date in gold medals when she graduated in 2017 with a Diploma in Management from MSU College (MSUC) at the 23rd Graduation Ceremony of MSUC.
She took 9 from the National Judo Tournament 2010-2019, 6 from the National Youth Judo Tournament 2010-2015, 3 from SUKMA 2010-2016, and 1 from the Macau International Junior and Youth Judo Tournament 2013.
The stellar performance, on top of two other silver and six other bronze medals acquired via SEA Games in Myanmar (2013), Singapore (2015), Kuala Lumpur (2017), and Vietnam, as well as Taipei at the International Junior Judo Open (2013) and the Asian Judo Open (2017), and Hong Kong at the International Judo Tournament (2014), earned her the MSU Outstanding Reward (MORE) Scholarship funded by MSU Foundation Yayasan MSU (YMSU), to progress to the Bachelor in Education (Physical Education and Health) (Hons) programme on Blended Learning (BL) mode at MSU’s School of Education and Social Sciences (SESS).
“I did it with the help of friends and lecturers who have always been supportive of my sport as well as my education, always quick to motivate me whenever I was about to fall behind in my studies.”
The aspiring sports teacher, who has just added another feather to her cap in the form of a gold medal and a world title in silat, aims to make Malaysia proud in future international judo competitions for women in the 78kg category.
Towards this end, Constable Fazlia is undeterred; by neither pain nor injury, either of which she has had plenty – dislocated elbow, broken humerus and nose, and five sutures on her eyebrow among them.
All owed to her love for martial arts and what they represent.
Central to the judo vision, for example, is maximum efficiency with minimum effort, and underlying this vision is a concept of softness controlling hardness – with the theory being that resisting a more powerful opponent will result in your own defeat, but adjusting to, and evading your opponent’s attack, will cause him to lose his balance, reduce his power, and open him up to defeat.
“That this applies, whatever the relative power, is what enables weaker opponents to beat significantly stronger ones. It’s a principle of life that I should like to direct towards an ultimate objective of benefit and welfare for humanity; both in my current career in the police force, and a possible future one in sports education.”
As one of the national Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) centres, Management and Science University (MSU) offers breakthrough ways for working adults wishing to further their studies. A wide range of programmes are offered with the student’s convenience as well as their educational and professional backgrounds in mind.
With ten locations including Sabah and Sarawak for potential candidates to take the APEL Aptitude Test as the non-conventional pre-qualification for entry into higher studies, MSU currently offers APEL (A) and APEL (C) at T-3 (Certificate), T-4 (Diploma), T-6 (Bachelor’s degree), and T-7 (Master’s degree) levels.
Introduced and approved by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), APEL widens access to higher education for adult learners who are richly work-experienced yet lack academic qualifications.
Another flexible option for adult learners to pursue their education is a micro-credential programme. Its offer offers industry in-demand programmes that provide flexible and made easy learning assessments that shall fulfil his or her needs for comprehensive education in preferred areas of study. These stackable programmes will allow for exemptions into academic programmes at MSU.
MSU APEL Centre is managed by the MSU Continuing and Extended Education Centre (CEdEC). It was established with the aim to excel at providing continuing education in tandem with society’s current needs. Promoting lifelong education, CEdEC offers programmes that suit best those in need of flexibility in the scheduling and overall conduct of the teaching and learning experiences.
Among the best in the region, the University’s programmes of study are meticulously crafted to enhance graduate potential, producing graduates that are a popular pick among employers.
MSU comprises the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, the Faculty of Business Management and Professional Studies, the Faculty of Information Sciences and Engineering, the International Medical School, the School of Pharmacy, the School of Education and Social Sciences, the School of Hospitality and Creative Arts, the School of Graduate Studies and the Graduate School of Management.
For a full range and information on the flexible programme offered at MSU, please call 03-5521 6868, email enquiry@msu.edu.my, or visit www.msu.edu.my
