The progress of Malaysia's higher education

THE formation of Malaysia in 1963 was a historical event in Southeast Asia.

The formation was considered controversial at the time, as neighbouring countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia strongly opposed the union.

Nevertheless, with much deliberation and diplomatic negotiations, the Borneo states and the Federation of Malaya successfully came together to form our nation.

I believe that the decision by our forefathers and the support given by the rakyat to form this union was remarkable.

Since then, there have been notable achievements in Malaysia. Within 59 years, our nation has transformed from an agrarian-based economy into an industrial-based economy. Today, Malaysia sits proudly as one of the top largest economies in the world.

Since the New Economic Policy was introduced in 1970, the government has been constantly striving to invest in human capital development through education.

It has always been apparent that for a nation to advance, there must be sufficient investments in building and crafting the knowledge and skills of our future generation.

Under the Ninth Schedule to the Federal Constitution, our Federal Government is responsible for various roles and responsibilities. One of which is education.

Therefore, the Higher Education and the Education ministries receive a substantial amount of the nation's annual budget.