SHAH ALAM: The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, and Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin, have extended their condolences to the family of eminent education figure, the late Tun Arshad Ayub.

In a post on the Selangor Royal Office official Facebook page, Sultan Sharafuddin said the late Arshad was greatly admired for his efforts, vision and foresight, besides his stance that success could be achieved with hard work and continuous commitment.

Arshad (pic), who passed away on Tuesday (June 14), had held several key positions in the government and was a pioneer of the Mara Institute of Technology which is now known as Universiti Teknologi Mara UiTM).

"Arshad devoted his energy and life to the development of UiTM that was established to provide education opportunities to underprivileged students, especially from rural areas.

"The vision and planning of the late Arshad had produced many professionals and scholars who are recognised internationally,” read the posting.

It also noted that in appreciation of Arshad’s efforts in developing UiTM, the main campus of which is in Selangor, the Sultan has conferred the Darjah Kebesaran Kelas Pertama, Seri Paduka Mahkota Selangor (SPMS) award, which carries the title of Datuk Seri, on Arshad.

"The country has lost a pioneer of national educational and administrative innovation who is irreplaceable,” it said.

Their Royal Highnesses hoped that the family of the late Arshad would remain strong and prayed for his soul to be placed among the faithful.

Arshad died in hospital at 2.06am and was reported to have been under treatment at the intensive care unit since last week for health issues. He was 93.

He was the first director of ITM from 1967 to 1975.

Arshad is survived by his wife, Toh Puan Zaleha Mohd Arshad, and seven children. – Bernama