No more 'here can, there cannot': Ministry to standardise varsity discipline rules

 

PARLIAMENT | The Higher Education Ministry is moving to standardise disciplinary rules across public universities, ending inconsistencies that can see students’ rights treated differently from one campus to another.

Its Minister Zambry Abd Kadir said the move would address conflicting rules on student activities, criticism and the exercise of freedom of speech, association and peaceful assembly.

He also said this had created a situation where something allowed at one university was prohibited at another.

“At one university, you can do it; at another, you cannot. Criticism is allowed in one place, but not in another,” he added.

Zambry (above) said this in response to a question from Ahmad Marzuk Shaary (PN-Pengkalan Chepa) on the ministry’s commitment to engage various student groups in drafting a new higher education legal framework, following the government’s decision to repeal the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA).

He revealed that the ministry has also taken immediate steps to halt disciplinary proceedings related to freedom of speech, expression of views, public criticism, and peaceful assembly at public universities.

Zambry said the government had also dropped previous disciplinary actions in similar cases, while serious offences would remain subject to national laws.

New legal framework, consolidating laws

Zambry stated that standardising university rules would be part of the government's efforts to develop a new legal framework for higher education.

The government is currently examining the possibility of consolidating various laws governing higher education under a single framework, dubbed the "One Higher Education Act", he said.

"We take all these aspects into account and ensure that such matters do not occur," he added.

According to Zambry, the new framework would encompass the entire higher education ecosystem, including the development of polytechnics and pre-university education such as matriculation.

He said the government also wants the new act to serve as a durable legal framework capable of remaining relevant for the next 10, 20, or even 30 years.

Consulting stakeholders

Zambry said the engagement process would involve all student groups, regardless of their political leanings, including those affiliated with political parties.

The issue of student freedom and differing approaches to discipline at universities gained prominence following a series of student movements this year.

In February, more than 30 student groups planned a march to Parliament to demand the repeal of UUCA, claiming that the act restricted student freedom and gave institutions overly broad powers.

At Universiti Malaya, meanwhile, more than 100 students held a sit-in protest in January against the university's direct disciplinary punishment policy.

The government announced in August that the UUCA would be repealed, while the Higher Education Ministry took immediate steps to expand freedom of speech, association, peaceful assembly, and the management of student activities pending the development of a new legal framework. - Mkini