KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 — Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said it (UKM) has become the first public university in Malaysia to open a branch overseas with its new campus in Doha, Qatar welcoming its first batch of students in October this year.

A memorandum of agreement (MoA) was signed between UKM vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Mohd Ekhwan Toriman and Sheikh Abd Rahman Khalifa, the chief executive officer of the Regional Group Company Qatar, at a ceremony held yesterday in Doha.

"Through the agreement signed on March 26, UKM has agreed to offer undergraduate and postgraduate programmes offshore in Doha. The Regional Group will be responsible for organising programmes, marketing and providing facilities and infrastructure for teaching and learning," it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Mohd Ekhwan said UKM will be responsible for providing academic input involving curriculum, teaching and learning, assurances of quality, and graduations.

The signing of the MoA was witnessed by the Minister of Higher Education of Malaysia Datuk Seri Noraini Ahmad.

"I am happy that UKM has become a contributor to the achievement and has taken the next step to widen its international involvement by spreading its wings to Qatar,” Noraini said in the statement.