Idris to get report on students in Egypt
THE Higher Education Ministry wants to know the facts before acting against agents who promised students that they would receive government sponsorships to study in Egypt.
Its minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said the ministry would take action according to the law but reiterated that it would only be done once they had all the facts.
“We are waiting the return of the ministry’s team that was sent to Egypt to meet the students,” he told reporters after launching Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) creative media and technology hub last Thursday.
Idris said the team was sent to find out the problems facing the students and determine the sort of assistance required.
He added that the team was expected to return to Malaysia and submit their report by the end of the week.
Idris was commenting on media reports last week that around 150 Malaysian medical students in Egypt faced expulsion for failure to pay tuition fees amounting to around RM4.5mil.
He said the government had stopped sending bursary students overseas.
“We will see how we can help these students,” he added.
On another matter, Idris congratulated UiTM for launching its new creative media and technology hub.
The creation of the hub was “inspired” by Idris and Higher Education Ministry directorgeneral Prof Datuk Dr Asma Ismail.
“This is a new concept we (the ministry) are encouraging in all the public institutions of higher learning, which is in line with the concept of flexible education and creating multidisciplinary students,” he said.
Both these concepts, Idris explained, would mean students are exposed to more than just one discipline which would provide them with a more holistic education.
For example, he added, music students would not only be learning the arts but also the business aspects of music.
He said the hub would optimise the expertise from 11 faculties at UiTM.
Among them are the Faculty of Music, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Computer Science and Mathematics, and Faculty of Business Management.
UiTM vice-chancellor Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Hassan Said said that the university hopes to make the hub among the top 10 best creative media and technology hubs in the world by 2025.