No plans to repeal Auku, says ministry

 

Khaled Nordin says the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 is still relevant, especially for matters involving the administration of universities.

PETALING JAYA: The higher education ministry says the government has no plans to repeal the Universities and University Colleges Act (Auku) 1971.

Its minister, Khaled Nordin, said the Act was still relevant, especially for matters involving the administration of universities.

“A repeal of the Auku would interfere in the administration of public universities, particularly during the transitional period,” he said in a parliamentary reply yesterday.

He was responding to a question from Hassan Karim (PH-Pasir Gudang), who asked whether the government was planning to repeal the Auku.

Khaled said the process of repealing the Act would require further scrutiny as it involves other legislations such as the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996, the Education Act 1996, and the Statutory Bodies (Discipline and Surcharge) Act 2000.

He said, however, the ministry was always open to suggestions and views to improve the existing Act.

He also said engagements with interested parties such as students, academic staff and university management were ongoing to obtain the latest input so that improvements to the Act would fulfill their needs and bring it in line with the current times.

“One of the ministry’s main agendas for 2023 is to empower the students with more autonomy to partake in union activities,” he said.

He also said the ministry and public universities were in the final stages of formulating several guidelines to allow students more freedom in organising their activities and joining political programmes, both on and off campus.

“The ministry is still having engagements with the legal advisers of public universities on this matter,” he said.

On Feb 7, Tanah Rata assemblyman Ho Chi Yang urged the unity government to repeal the Auku to “institutionally guarantee” student autonomy in universities.

He welcomed Khaled’s pledge to empower student unions in universities, saying abolishing Auku would be a key step towards achieving that.

He maintained that Auku was not in line with the government’s aspiration to revamp the national higher education system, reiterating that Putrajaya must abolish the Act.

Ho said protecting universities from political interference would give the management, academics and students a safe space to make use of their knowledge and skills to criticise and give feedback on government policies.

In its manifesto for the 15th general election, Pakatan Harapan Youth had pledged to repeal Auku. This was also in PH’s manifesto for the 14th general election. - FMT