Permata Negara and Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies (OCIS), Oxford University have agreed to explore opportunities for collaboration to produce smart students that are capable of becoming scholars.

The prime minister’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, who is patron of Permata Negara, said OCIS had agreed to hold further discussion with Permata Negara to fine-tune the collaboration for the purpose.

“More ground works need to be carried out to identify what can be done to achieve the purpose,” she told Malaysian journalists at OCIS, about 83km from London yesterday.

Rosmah, who is on a seven-day visit to the United Kingdom since Thursday, said the collaboration would not confine only for Permata Pintar and Permata Insan students, but also other students and global in nature.

“We also discussed issues on Muslim women, especially on women’s leadership issues,” she said.

Rosmah, who is accompanied by Malaysian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Ahmad Rasidi Hazizi, was welcomed by OCIS director Dr Farhan Nizami. Also present were the Orang Kaya Kaya Imam Paduka Tuan, Orang Besar Lapan Perak, Muhammad Afifi al Akiti, who is a fellow in Islamic studies at OCIS and senior consultant at the Prime Minister’s Department Prof Emerita Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin

Rosmah will also hold discussion with the University of Cambridge this Monday on exploring collaboration to develop the Permata Pintar and Permata Insan programme.

She is also scheduled to open the Nobelist Mindset, a programme organised by Permata Pintar with the Royal Society of London this Monday.

The programme, which started in 2012 with the New York Academy of Sciences, United States of America, has since been expanded to involve similar cooperation with the Royal Society of London and University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

A total of 32 students from the Permata Pintar College, Permata Insan College, Mara College, national secondary schools and public universities, as well as six teachers, will participate in the programme.

The Nobelist Mindset programme aims to provide opportunities for smart and talented students to carry out Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics or STEM-based activities at several universities, like Cambridge University, London College University and ICL London.

On Tuesday, Rosmah is scheduled to visit the Specialist Domestic Violence Court and hold discussion with the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) Team from the Crown Prosecution Service (CSP).

Rosmah will be accompanied by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rohani Abdul Karim and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman Said during the visit to the courts.

- Bernama