Ministry to study gap year option for varsity students: Idris Jusoh

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Higher Education (KPT) is studying the option for university students to temporarily defer their studies via a gap year to pursue other positive activities.

Its Minister, Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said the sabbatical could be used by students to equip themselves in fields such as entrepreneurship and volunteerism.

"We are looking at a gap year system in which students who have completed their second academic year, may be allowed to defer their studies for one year," he said in his winding-up speech at the 2016 Students Parliamentary Session at Parliament House, here today.

The Students Parliament sat for two days starting yesterday with the participation of 210 students from 26 local universities.

Idris said the country needed graduates to be more balanced and more holistically skilled with entrepreneurial knowledge.
"We do not want to produce graduates who do not know much after coming out of universities," Idris said.

When met by reporters later, Idris reminded graduates not to be extreme in raising their views.
"We have our etiquette and we do not prevent them from criticising so long as they are reasonable. The views of university students are very important to the ministry as what we have implemented is partly from their viewpoints," he said. — Bernama