Ministry undaunted by budget cuts

> Public universities generate 12%-30% of own operational expenditure, says minister

PETALING JAYA: Budget cuts to the Higher Education Ministry this year is expected to hit public universities hard, but the ministry has downplayed their fears.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said despite the 9.3% cut to the ministry’s allocations, public universities are already having success generating its own funds in the past year.

“I would like to announce that public universities have managed to generate between 12% and 30% of its operational expenditure,” Idris said during the Higher Education Ministry’s monthly assembly yesterday.

He said the funds came from research fees, rental dividends, holdings contributions, research revenue and other sources of funding.

For this year, Idris said public universities could refer to the ministry’s Purple Book: Enhancing University Income Generation, Endowment and Waqf in which several ways to generate revenue are outlined.

They include increased commercialisation of research, offering consultancy services, raising funds from alumni and relevant industries, strategic investments and creating Waqf, or endowment funds.

Twenty public universities throughout the country have had their budgets cut by 19.23% compared to RM7.57 billion last year, a reduction of RM1.46 billion.

Idris also said the ministry will be tabling amendments to the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act in the Parliament sitting in March.

He said this is to make the law more comprehensive, to streamline supervisory methods, application approval procedures, and also address aspects of ownership and staff.