PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Higher Education has firmly denied allegations that local students were being neglected in university admissions.
Director-General Datuk Prof Dr Azlinda Azman dismissed opposition lawmaker Dr Haim Hilman Abdullah’s claims as completely baseless and misleading.
She expressed concern that such statements could create confusion about Malaysia’s higher education internationalisation policy.
Azlinda stated that as a former vice-chancellor, Haim Hilman should understand university operations and the balance between local and international students.
She emphasised that the ministry consistently safeguards local students’ interests and has never neglected them.
The director-general clarified that international undergraduate admissions at five research universities remain strictly limited.
Local students constitute 91.6% of the student body at Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi MARA.
Government subsidies at undergraduate level are provided exclusively to local students according to ministry policy.
Postgraduate programmes including master’s and doctoral degrees maintain open admissions without caps on international students.
This approach aligns with the Malaysia Education Blueprint (2015-2025) which actively promotes internationalisation.
Azlinda stressed that the internationalisation policy does not compromise educational access for local students.
She referenced Haim’s 2022 statement during his tenure as UUM vice-chancellor reporting a 13.97% increase in international student enrolment.
This demonstrated his previous support and implementation of the international intake policy at his own institution. – Bernama
