A Cabinet memorandum to allow new law faculties in Sabah and Sarawak was tabled last month, with universities awaiting final approval to lift a moratorium on such programmes.
KUALA LUMPUR: A Cabinet memorandum to enable the offering of law programmes in Sabah and Sarawak was tabled on Nov 14.
Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the ministry is awaiting approval for an exemption from a moratorium on new bachelor’s degree law programmes.
“If the Cabinet approves it with this moratorium, then Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) can hold law programmes in both states,” he said.
He was speaking during the winding-up session for the Ministry of Higher Education in the Dewan Negara.
In a separate development, Mustapha said a project to track and digitise Malay manuscripts has successfully repatriated 3,638 manuscripts in digital form.
The initiative, led by Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) since 2019, involved collaboration with international libraries and archives.
Partners included institutions in Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Thailand, and Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said the ministry would consider proposals to increase meal allowances for school athletes.
He was responding to a senator who raised concerns that the current food budget of RM16 per athlete was inappropriate.
The rate is subject to a 2011 financial circular, which sets different rates for primary and secondary schools in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak.
“However, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will examine the proposed eligibility rate, and it depends on the existing financial situation,” Wong said.
He also announced that the allocation for this year’s Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) tournament has been increased to RM8.1 million.
The original allocation was RM5 million, with the increase covering costs for 24 sports at district, state, and national levels.
A further RM13.2 million has been allocated for MSSM fee assistance for primary and secondary school students.
