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PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on the Higher Education Ministry to intensify monitoring of university standards, warning that a failure to prioritise excellence could reduce higher education institutions to “certificate mills” producing low-quality graduates.
Speaking at the Temu Anwar programme on Tuesday, where he also officiated the expansion of the new UCSI University campus, Anwar stressed that safeguarding academic quality is essential to protecting the long-term future of Malaysia’s education system.
“I urge the Higher Education Ministry to monitor and safeguard university quality. If a university does not move towards excellence, it will become lacklustre and become a certificate mill producing low-quality certificates,” he said.
“This will affect future generations. That is why we emphasise quality across all fields,” he added.
Anwar said Malaysia’s position as a regional education hub makes academic integrity even more critical, noting that around 160,000 international students are currently enrolled in local universities, reflecting strong global confidence in the country’s higher education system.
He also emphasised the need for a holistic education framework that balances intellectual development with moral and ethical grounding, alongside technological progress.
Universities, he said, must play a central role in producing graduates who are not only knowledgeable but also grounded in strong values, ethics and character.
Anwar warned that rapid technological advancement, including artificial intelligence, must not come at the expense of human development.
“That is why I am attracted to the approach taken by this university (UCSI) and others. While we reach for the skies in terms of technology and AI, we must not abandon our foundation,” he said.
“That foundation is culture, character, values and ethics, which make us unique and special.”
He added that Malaysia’s education system must continue to pursue both technological advancement and cultural enrichment.
“So, we must pursue both. In our education system, while we advance in new technologies, science and AI, we must also place strong emphasis on the arts, culture, music and value-based considerations,” he said.
Earlier, Anwar reiterated that weak quality assurance in universities risks long-term damage to national development, stressing that Malaysia’s competitiveness depends on maintaining high academic standards.
He said the presence of a large international student population further underscores the responsibility to uphold institutional credibility and educational excellence.
Also present at the event were Higher Education Deputy Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim and Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Member of Parliament for Bandar Tun Razak. - April 28, 2026
