Govt may absorb affected overseas students into local varsities if Middle East conflict worsens
JASIN, April 17 — The government is open and ready to place Malaysian students who are stranded or whose studies are affected in countries involved in the West Asia crisis into local higher education institutions (IPT) if the situation requires.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said this is among the Ministry of Higher Education’s (MOHE) preparedness measures and guarantees to ensure that the studies of affected students are not disrupted, and this includes those who have just received offers to continue their studies in the affected countries.
“If it happens, then space will be provided for them to continue their studies here, in accordance with their results, courses, and educational background because there is understanding at the university level.
“Usually, we will discuss courses that can transfer credits based on the guidelines of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) so that students can continue their studies without having to repeat everything,” he said to reporters after attending the townhall programme of the Kembara Karisma Pemimpin Muda Madani Zon Selatan at the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Jasin campus here today.
Commenting further, he said that the step of bringing students back and placing them in local universities is not a new thing, but has been implemented before, including during the Iran-Iraq conflict and involving Malaysian students in Kuwait.
“So far, there are no official figures on the students affected (due to the crisis in West Asia) because universities in the affected countries are still functioning as usual and the number, except for Jordan and Egypt, is relatively small.
“However, the ministry will be prepared and await feedback from students and educational institutions before any further action is taken,” he added.
