GEORGE TOWN: Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir has dismissed claims of an influx of foreign student enrolment in public universities, particularly from China.
He also stressed that the government would never compromise the quotas allocated for local students.
Speaking to reporters after launching the 32nd IEEE International Symposium on the Physical and Failure Analysis of Integrated Circuits (IPFA 2025) here today, Zambry said the claims, which surfaced in recent parliamentary debates and public discourse, were baseless.
“We have never compromised the quotas allocated for local students. Public universities exist, first and foremost, to serve the children of Malaysia.
“As such, there is no truth to claims of an influx in foreign student enrolment at public universities.”
He was responding to MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong’s recent remarks on the matter during the recent parliamentary sitting.
Wee, citing statistics from a recent study by the Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (Insap), MCA’s research think-tank, had described it as a worrying trend.
Zambry said while Malaysia currently hosts international students from over 150 countries, their enrolment was in line with the government’s internationalisation policy and did not affect the intake of local students.
“These students choose Malaysia because they believe in the quality of our education.
“Many of them previously studied in the West but have shifted here due to geopolitical challenges,” he added.
Zambry also denied that public universities were reducing local student placements in favour of international enrolments for financial reasons.
“The government has set clear intake targets and fee structures. Public universities are not permitted to reduce local quotas to accommodate foreign students for profit.
“That would be against policy,” he said.
Zambry said that misleading claims about foreign student dominance risked fuelling unnecessary public anxiety and politicisation of higher education issues.
“I have no interest in engaging in polemics. But when baseless accusations are made, it becomes my duty to respond with facts.
“If any party has concerns, my office is always open for discussion,” he said.
He urged all parties, including members of parliament, to avoid politicising the issue and instead engage directly with the ministry for clarification.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
