KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 — The Higher Education Ministry (KPT) will discuss proposals regarding an exemption from the moratorium on law courses for institutions of higher learning (IPT) in Sabah.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mohammad Yusof Apdal said the matter would be discussed in the meeting for the retabling of the Final Report on the Direction of Legal Studies in Malaysia at the end of this month.

Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat today, he said the discussion would involve stakeholders in Sabah, such as the independent professional lawyers’ associations in the state, the Sabah Law Society.

He said currently, there is a moratorium or freeze on programmes, which has been in effect since 2006 for undergraduate law studies, as stated in the reports on the Direction of Legal Studies in Malaysia in 2017 and 2023.

The previous reports, involving various stakeholders such as the Malaysian Bar Council and the Legal Profession Qualifying Board, recommended that the moratorium on the Bachelor of Laws programme be continued.

Previously, KPT had imposed a moratorium on the establishment of new law faculties to ensure there is no excessive production of law graduates.

Earlier, Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud) raised the issue of the unavailability of law programmes in Sabah, which forced students from the state to move elsewhere for their legal studies.

Isnaraissah Munirah also suggested an exemption to the moratorium in Sabah, providing an opportunity for local students to pursue their studies in the field without having to consider high transportation costs.

Mohammad Yusof said currently students from Sabah can pursue their law studies at 22 institutions of higher learning nationwide.

"KPT will also carefully examine needs and suitability to add new Bachelor of Laws programmes to ensure the sustainability of these programmes, quality, and the market prospects for graduates to meet the current needs of the country, including in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.

Mohammad Yusof also said that he would hold discussions with Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) regarding a proposal by Isnaraissah Munirah to establish a course or programme related to the customary land laws of Sabah so as to promote national integration. — Bernama