KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — Malaysia’s higher education framework must change according to current needs, aligning with the evolving landscape of global education, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir.

He said the Higher Education Ministry (MoHE) encourages all public and private higher education institutions (IPTA and IPTS), polytechnics and community colleges to establish collaborations and understanding with foreign higher education institutions and industry players.

Zambry said this aligns with the internationalisation policy and strategy developed by MoHE.

"It is essential for us to quickly adapt the higher education framework and no longer base it on the old framework... the whole world is changing, and all the country’s higher education institutions need to adapt to these changes.

"For example, in my recent official visits to several countries, I had the opportunity to engage in bilateral discussions with counterparts to strengthen understanding in the field of education,” he told reporters at the Parliament building here today.

Earlier, he witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and South Korean pharmaceutical company, Jeil Pharmaceutical, to strengthen the local pharmaceutical and medical research fields.

On the higher education institution campus tour programme, Semarak Kampus Madani or Jerayawara KPT, Zambry said that this initiative helps the ministry understand the actual situation at the institutional level.

He said the programme provides an opportunity for him and the MoHE to hear firsthand the implementation challenges of policies at the grassroots level, ensuring a focus on the welfare of students and faculty staff.

The Semarak Kampus Madani programme will involve visits to institutions in 16 zones nationwide, including public and private universities, polytechnics and community colleges, with Sarawak being the first zone selected by MoHE from March 5-6. — Bernama