Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia, has been courting the nation's youth by promising to make it easier to pursue higher education. His promises include no tuition costs, degree programs that are only three years long, and hybrid learning.
Datuk Seri Anwar also overturned a recent decision to halt the Public Service Department (JPA) from granting scholarships for students in medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy and enhanced allowances for current scholarship holders beginning in July in advance of six crucial state elections anticipated in July.
According to The Straits Times, Mr Anwar stated that the program would cost the government RM52.03 million (S$15 million) over six months beginning in July and benefit 43,595 public service scholars.
On the same day, he said to students at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in Bangi that he thought tertiary education should be free for all Malaysians, except for the wealthy. Still, he required more time to put such a policy into practice.
One of these at public universities is implementing a hybrid learning system. For the first and last years, lectures must be attended. However, the second year allows students the flexibility of studying at home.
According to Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin, at least 44 courses at nine public universities will be cut from four years to three, enabling graduates to enter the job sooner.
Additionally, the government will waive the RM30 million in tuition costs that 10,000 poor students at 20 public universities would have otherwise had to pay.
Malaysia's 20 public universities offered roughly 71,600 spots for the most recent intake. At Universiti Malaya, the total cost of a medical degree program is RM14,200, compared to RM8,820 for a law degree program.
Mrs Koay hopes that soon everyone will have access to free education. Most critically, she added, all students should have access to inclusive education, regardless of race. For those who cannot afford it, students shouldn't have to compete so fiercely for a few spots, as this can cause stress, worry, and mental breakdown.
Sources: The Straits Times, Malaysiakini
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