No more US varsities through Mara
LONDON: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) will stop sending its students for further studies in the United States starting this year.
Mara chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki ( pic ) said the decision was made in view of uncertainties over policies under the US administration.
'A total of 131 Mara students are supposed to further their studies in the United States in October.
'However, given the uncertainties now, we do not want to place any risk on our students (by sending them there),' he told reporters here yesterday.
Asyraf Wajdi is in London as part of the delegation of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is here on a four-day working visit until Wednesday.
He said the students, who were supposed to go to the United States this October, would be sent to top universities in other countries.
'Among the countries being considered are Australia, New Zealand, Japan and China,' he said.
'We are also considering sending them to local universities.'
Asyraf Wajdi said counsellors had been assigned to discuss with the students on their prospective destination.
'The most important thing is that we don't want to demotivate them.
'The counsellors will guide them to renowned universities in other countries,' he added.
He said Mara was studying the impact of the US policies on its 266 students currently in the United States and would make a decision once the study was completed.
Asyraf Wajdi also said that Mara would work closely with Cambridge University for the benefit of its students and educators.
He said he has held discussions with Cambridge representatives, relaying to them that 12 out of the 57 Mara junior science colleges (MRSM) had Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE).
'The students' performance is very encouraging, with 147 of getting straight As in IGCSE subjects.
'They (Cambridge representatives) were excited when we shared these facts with them.'
In turn, Asyraf Wajdi said Cambridge representatives had agreed to visit MRSM to give students an orientation on Cambridge.
'In that sense, successful students can be prepared early.'
Asyraf Wajdi said Mara has also agreed to embark on a research collaboration with Cambridge and to provide co-funding in areas such as quantum technology and artificial intelligence.
'We will send our lecturers for five master's and PhD courses in Cambridge.
'The university will sponsor another five.
'Our ultimate aim is to increase the capacity and competency of our educators so that our students get the best education.'
Mara had also agreed to conduct leadership courses that could produce professors and lecturers who were not only active in academics but in industries too, he said.
'The training module will be developed by Cambridge.'
On another matter, Asyraf Wajdi said three universities in the United Kingdom had agreed to offer discounts of between 10-20% in tuition fees for Mara-sponsored students.
The universities are Warwick, Birmingham and Edinburgh.
'Both Warwick and Birmingham universities have agreed to offer 20% discounts in tuition fees for Mara students while Edinburgh offered a discount of 10%,' he said.
'For example, the discount is about £6,000 per year at Warwick University.
'So for three years, this will amount to £18,000.
'This would mean a total of RM103,000 in savings for those three years,' he added.
With the discounts offered, Asyraf Wajdi said Mara could look into the possibility of increasing student allowances to help ease their cost of living.
'I met with students in the Sheffield and Manchester universities.
'The feedback I received is that their cost of living has increased significantly,' he added.
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