PETALING JAYA: The start of the new academic term for public universities in September should not cause any confusion as these institutions of higher learning had been notified about the change, said Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.
His recent statement that universities would start their new term in September this year instead of July was not “ground-breaking”, he said.
“They should know about this new calendar. The universities have been informed,” he said when questioned why some university students had not been informed of the change.
“It was not a new announcement as the minister (Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin) had mentioned this several times in the past.
“I was just confirming things to reporters who sought clarification,” he said yesterday.
Asked about claims that students in medical faculties would start their semester in July instead of September, Saifuddin said the implementation of the new calendar should be across the board.
Speaking in Temerloh on Saturday, Saifuddin had said the move was to align the Malaysian academic term with that of universities abroad and also to circumvent the institutions of higher learning in the country from losing outstanding Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia candidates to foreign universities.
He had reportedly said bright SPM students hardly had time to pick the best local colleges and ultimately chose to study overseas.
When contacted, Mohamed Khaled, who was overseas, confirmed the new academic calendar.
It was learnt that although various vice-chancellors were not privy to the announcement, such a move had been on the cards for a while.
Khaled first spoke on the matter in December 2009 during a soft launch of the ministry’s nationwide carnival.
He had said then that Malaysia’s customary July intake hampered international student recruitment as many foreign students had yet to receive their high school exam results.
He said the July intake also complicated student mobility programmes.
Khaled had also said then that it was hoped the new academic calendar – which mirrors countries in the northern hemisphere – would further enhance Malaysia’s status as a regional education hub.
The Education and Higher Education Ministries had agreed in principle on the switch and a joint committee discussed the final details last year, said former Higher Education secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Zulkefli A. Hassan, a committee member.
According to the Institute of International Education, Malaysia is the 11th most preferred study destination in the world, with around 2% of the global international student market.
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