Varsities identify 599 academics

The Star

By KAREN CHAPMAN

PUTRAJAYA: Public universities identified 599 for academic staff positions over a three-day recruitment fair organised by the Higher Education Ministry at KL Sentral last month.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said of this number, 125 had been appointed immediately.

“A majority of these people have working experience in the public and private sectors and some have even worked overseas,” he said after chairing his ministry's post-Cabinet meeting yesterday.

The 125 had been offered positions in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia.

Mustapa said the universities also offered scholarships to 255 to do their PhDs and 219, their masters.

Of the total, there are 389 bumiputras, 203 non-bumiputras and seven foreigners.

On another matter, Mustapa said the Cabinet had approved the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) Bill in principle at its meeting yesterday.

“There are some minor changes but I hope to table it for the first reading at the coming Parliament session beginning next week,” he said.

The long-awaited Bill will see the merger of the National Accreditation Board and the ministry’s Quality Assurance Division, which will lead to the establishment of the MQA.

On another matter, Mustapa said the ministry had set up an overseas promotions council – to attract more international students to Malaysia – which would hold its first meeting early next month.

He said, there were now 52,000 international students in public and private universities and the number was expected to rise to 66,000 by next year.