MOHE Rejects Claims Of Neglecting Local Students In IPT Intake

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 17 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has denied allegations that it failed to prioritise local students in admission to local higher education institutions (IPTs).

Higher Education director-general Datuk Prof Dr Azlinda Azman dismissed claims by opposition lawmaker Dr Haim Hilman Abdullah as baseless and misleading, cautioning against confusion over the country’s higher education internationalisation policy.

“Given that he is a former vice-chancellor of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), he should understand how universities operate, particularly the balance between local and international students,” she said at a press conference today.

“We safeguard the interests of local students and have never neglected them,” she added, responding to allegations made by Haim Hilman at the 71st PAS Muktamar in Alor Setar on Monday.

Azlinda clarified that international undergraduate admissions at five research universities, namely Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), are limited, with local students making up 91.6 per cent of the student body.

“At the undergraduate level, government subsidies are provided exclusively to local students,” she said.

For postgraduate programmes, including master’s and doctoral degrees, admissions are open with no cap on international students, aligning with the Malaysia Education Blueprint (2015-2025), which promotes internationalisation.

“The internationalisation policy does not neglect educational access for local students,” Azlinda stressed.

Citing a 2022 statement by Haim during his tenure as UUM vice-chancellor, she noted he had reported a 13.97 per cent increase in international student enrolment for the 2022/2023 session.

“This shows he supported and implemented the international intake policy at UUM,” she added.

-- BERNAMA