‘MALAYSIA-UK EDUCATION LINK THE STRONGEST’
Education key pillar to strengthen bilateral ties, says British envoy
THE new British High Commissioner to Malaysia Charles Hay hopes to bring more British students to study in Malaysian schools and universities.
He said it was one of the ways to strengthen the bilateral ties between both countries, especially in the education sector.
“When I look at the education links between the United Kingdom and other countries, I would say that the link between Malaysia and the UK is the strongest.”
Speaking at the Malaysian Chevening Scholars 2017/18 reception programme at his residence, hosted by the British High Commission, he said the number of Malaysian students studying in the UK reflected a strong and long-lasting relationship between the countries.
“I would like this relationship to become even stronger in the future. What we can do better is to encourage more British students to study in Malaysia.
“We have five campuses to cater to these students in Malaysia,” he said.
At the event, the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding to become a Chevening partner.
Hay said education continued to be a key pillar to enhance the relationship between the UK and Malaysia.
“This is reflected not only in the number of partnerships between education institutions of both countries, but also the number of Malaysians studying for British qualifications in the UK and Malaysia,” he said.
The five British university branch campuses in Malaysia are University of Nottingham, Newcastle University Medical School, University of Southampton Engineering School, HeriotWatt University and University of Reading.
Among the Malaysian Chevening scholars from the 2017/18 academic year was the Ne w Straits Times’ news editor Faridul Anwar Farinordin, who was awarded Master of Arts in Migration and Global Development from the University of Sussex in Brighton, England.
Faridul said the opportunity to study in the UK allowed him to explore topical subjects dealing with the issues of international and national-level migrations, which covered politicisation of human rights, global economic inequalities and the skewed social systems.
“As the top UK university in development studies, the University of Sussex challenges the way you look at the world. You are encouraged to come with your own arguments instead of subscribing to popular theories by renowned scholars, which can be thought-provoking in understanding the world we live in,” he said.
The British High Commission welcomed 44 Malaysian Chevening scholars from the 2017/18 academic year in the reception on Thursday night. Last year, 45 Malaysians pursued their post-graduate studies in the UK under the Chevening Scholarship programme.
The Malaysian Chevening alumni comprises 1,600 members nationwide.