PUTRAJAYA, Feb 27 — Resolutions on Bumiputera higher education categorised under four themes are to be presented to the Bumiputra Economic Congress (KEB) 2024 this week.

The themes are access to higher education for Bumiputeras; talent development of Bumiputera tertiary students; marketability of Bumiputera graduates and the establishment of Bumiputera development research centres.

The Higher Education Ministry (MOHE), in a statement today, said Higher Education adviser Prof Tan Sri Noor Azlan Ghazali will represent the higher education cluster to present these resolutions at KEB 2024, which will be held for three days from Thursday.

It said four public university vice-chancellors had presented these resolutions to Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir yesterday.

They include the vice-chancellors from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) (Prof Datuk Mohd Ekhwan Toriman); Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (Prof Datuk Md Amin Md Taff); Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (Prof Datuk Massila Kamalrudin) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) (Prof Datuk Shahrin Sahib @ Sahibuddin).

“Prior to that, several workshops, led by Noor Azlan, were held to look into these resolutions.

“Collaborations in outlining these themes is seen as key in advancing efforts to strengthen the marketability of Bumiputera graduates, which is increasingly challenging and requires several initiatives and support,” the statement read.

According to MOHE, several efforts need to be implemented, including the continuation of special scholarships for Bumiputera students, collaboration between government agencies and government-linked companies (GLCs), the expansion of entrepreneurship courses at universities and the offering of scholarships to B40 Bumiputera students for industrial training at reputable companies.

MOHE said the empowerment of Bumiputera graduates is also emphasised in line with Malaysia Madani, which aims to develop graduates with high creativity, character and integrity, spirit of compassion and the ability to advance their careers.

It said the session also discussed the establishment of the Bumiputera Development Research Centre to develop Bumiputera databases, conduct research, create discussion platforms and policy advocacy to develop the Bumiputera community.

“The centre will be managed by UiTM’s Institut Pemikiran dan Kepimpinan Melayu (Impak) and UKM through the Malaysian Inclusivity, Development and Advancement Institute (Minda),” MOHE said. — Bernama