Kuala lumpur: The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has denied allegations that it failed to prioritise local students in admission to local higher education institutions (IPTs). Higher Education director-general Datuk Prof Dr Azlinda Azman dismissed claims by opposition lawmaker Dr Haim Hilman Abdullah as baseless and misleading, cautioning against confusion over the country's higher education internationalisation policy.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Azlinda emphasized that as a former vice-chancellor of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Dr Haim should understand the operational dynamics of universities, especially in maintaining a balance between local and international students. She affirmed that the interests of local students are safeguarded and have not been neglected, responding to allegations made by Haim Hilman at the 71st PAS Muktamar in Alor Setar.

Azlinda further clarified that international undergraduate admissions at five research universities, namely Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), are limited, with local students comprising 91.6 percent of the student body. She also noted that government subsidies at the undergraduate level are provided exclusively to local students.

For postgraduate programmes, including master's and doctoral degrees, admissions are open with no cap on international students, in line with the Malaysia Education Blueprint (2015-2025), which promotes internationalisation. Azlinda stressed that the internationalisation policy does not compromise educational access for local students.

She also referenced a 2022 statement by Haim during his tenure as UUM vice-chancellor, where he reported a 13.97 percent increase in international student enrolment for the 2022/2023 session, suggesting his support and implementation of the international intake policy at UUM.