TANJONG MALIM, Oct 5 — The Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) anticipates a higher allocation will be provided to the ministry following the launch of the Malaysia Higher Education Plan 2026-2035 next year.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir said the allocation will cover several aspects of improving the nation's higher education systems in line with the new plan.
"If you combine the Education Ministry (MOE) and the Higher Education Ministry, we will find that the budget for education is always at number one.
"And this time, we anticipate and hope for the same budget, and there might also be new matters that will be announced by the Prime Minister later, with the hope that we may see an increase," he said.
Zambry was speaking to the press after officiating the Global Educator Award (GEA) 2025 at the Tuanku Canselor Hall of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) last night.
Also present were UPSI Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Md Amin Md Taff, MOHE Secretary-General Datuk Anesee Ibrahim, and Perak State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Mohammad Zahir Abdul Khalid.
Meanwhile, he said the launch of GEA 2025 is an effort to internationalise the country's higher education institutions.
"I have asked every university that has its own 'niche' — for example, UPSI is a renowned university in the field of education.
"For a long time, we did not consider an institution this important, with its history of more than 100 years, to be one whose value should be taken advantage of to be internationalised, as we can see... this GEA, which we conceived to place UPSI on the international stage," Zambry said.
The GEA programme, which ran from October 2 to October 4 at Tuanku Canselor Hall, featured a series of events that combined elements of recognition with intellectual exchange.
Among the main activities were 'The Great Teachers' Summit, the Madani Value Education Forum, sharing sessions by GEA finalists, and faculty and school visits for international educators to witness local educational practices personally.
The event received 244 nominations from 57 countries, including Russia, Australia, Argentina, South Africa, India, Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
