Malaysia wants to co-fund scholarships with Indonesia in higher education push
JAKARTA, July 14 — Malaysia has proposed exploring co-funded scholarships with Indonesia as part of efforts to strengthen higher education cooperation between the two countries, alongside broader efforts to deepen bilateral academic collaboration.
Malaysian Higher Education Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Dr Aminuddin Hassim said the proposal was among several initiatives put forward during a meeting with Indonesian Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry Secretary-General Prof Badri Munir Sukoco here on Monday.
He said the proposed co-funding arrangement could adopt the same mechanism currently used with the Maldives and Timor-Leste through Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS).
“Under this mechanism, EMGS coordinates collaboration with universities in Malaysia to offer various incentives to international students, including partial scholarships, reductions in tuition fees, as well as other forms of financial assistance.
“A similar approach could be explored with Indonesia to expand access to higher education opportunities in both countries,” he told Bernama.
Aminuddin said the proposed arrangement would extend scholarship support to Malaysian students pursuing higher education in Indonesia, complementing Malaysia’s existing scholarship opportunities for Indonesian students pursuing postgraduate studies in Malaysia.
“Many Malaysian students come to Indonesia to pursue studies in fields such as medicine, veterinary science and Islamic studies. So, in the future, if they wish to continue their studies here (in Indonesia), we hope there will be scholarship facilities and financial assistance available for them.
“For Malaysia, we do provide scholarships for international students, including those from Indonesia, particularly at the master’s and doctoral levels, and we would like to look into whether more can be added if necessary,” he said.
He said Malaysia currently offers 100 places annually under the Malaysia International Scholarship (MIS) on a first-come, first-served basis to international students, particularly those pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees.
Besides scholarship cooperation, Aminuddin said Malaysia had also followed up on the implementation of the 2023 Malaysia–Indonesia higher education memorandum of understanding by reviewing its progress, identifying new areas of collaboration, determining priority sectors and discussing funding arrangements.
He said Malaysia had also proposed closer cooperation to facilitate student mobility by easing administrative processes for Malaysian students pursuing higher education in Indonesia and vice versa.
“We seek assistance from Indonesia to facilitate the process for our students if they come here, including identifying the fields they can study and streamlining all procedures, just as we facilitate Indonesian students coming to Malaysia,” he said.
He said another area of focus was strengthening institution-to-institution collaboration through joint research and partnerships between universities in strategic fields, including technology.
Aminuddin also officiated at the Malaysia Higher Education Seminar 2026 on Monday, which was attended by representatives of the Indonesian Provincial Governments Communication Forum (FORKAPPSI) from its network of provincial liaison offices across 33 provinces.
In his opening speech, he said Malaysia had always viewed Indonesia as a key strategic partner in advancing higher education within Asean, noting that closer cooperation was increasingly important as universities respond to technological advancements, industry needs, changing labour market demands and globalisation.
He said Malaysia would also continue supporting closer cooperation between Indonesia’s provincial governments and was prepared to work with individual provinces based on their respective strengths and priorities, allowing cooperation to be tailored to local needs while contributing to regional talent development.
He added that both countries should remain committed to building long-term, sustainable partnerships, developing talent for future needs and strengthening ties as a pillar of regional stability and progress.
He said further that closer higher education cooperation was a strategic necessity to build a more competitive, resilient and globally respected Asean.
