KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 — The existing higher education policy will be enhanced and streamlined to ensure the Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) plays its roles as the critical factor to ensure the success of Madani Economy framework.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said this included ensuring the policy gives focus to the issue of talent preparation, research and innovation, as well as encouraging the transfer and sharing of knowledge by universities to society, and the internationalisation of the education sector.

He said in the aspect of talent preparation, it is the responsibility of the ministry to train and produce as many as possible the best talent for the country, whether in terms of education or skills to meet the needs of investors and the community who want good jobs and higher wages.

"On research and innovation, we must ensure that the economy is based on research that produces knowledge and innovation. This is inevitable in our efforts to position Malaysia in the economy of the region and the world.

"In addition, the transfer and sharing of knowledge from the university to the community is also important because we find a lot of knowledge can be explored to empower the community to overcome the issue of poverty and so on,” he said.

Mohamed Khaled said this when he appeared as a guest on the programme ‘Naratif Khas Ekonomi Madani Pendidikan Tinggi” which was broadcast live on TV1 last night.

According to the former Johor menteri besar, in making the economic framework a success, the university’s relationship with the community can no longer be limited to mere engagement but they must be willing to cooperate in creating a continuous guidance programme, to improve the economic and social status of the community.

At the same time, he said emphasis should be given to the issue of internationalisation because MOHE wants Malaysia to be elevated as a hub of global-class talent and skills that give returns to the national economy.

"Now, we have 20 public universities, 403 private higher education institutions (IPTS) and all of these offer a variety of programmes to overseas students.

"Therefore, if you look at the records, last year we had a total of 109,000 international students and if you take into account that one student spends about RM45,000 a year on tuition fees, food and lifestyle then it actually contributes RM9.4 billion to the economy of the country,” he said.

The Madani economy framework announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in July is aimed at reviving the Malaysian economy, to bring an overflow of revenue to enable the people enjoy a better quality of life.

Anwar, who is also the Minister of Finance, said the announcement of ‘Madani Economy: Empowering the People’ is a comprehensive plan for Malaysia to face various challenges and issues related to the country’s competitiveness and attractiveness as an investment destination and outlines actions to deal with current issues that affect people’s lives. — Bernama