United in effort: Zambry (second from left) meeting forum delegates after delivering his keynote speech at the Asean Universities Exhibition and Forum 2025. — ART CHEN/The Star
MALAYSIA can lead efforts to harmonise higher education policies, facilitating student mobility and academic collaboration across the region, as it assumes the Asean chairmanship this year, says Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.
The Higher Education Minister said the country’s role is clear – to serve as a bridge between Asean universities, governments and industries, ensuring that education remains at the core of regional progress.
“In today’s rapidly evolving global landscape, universities are no longer just institutions of higher learning; they have become engines of innovation, centres of knowledge exchange, and catalysts for economic and social development,” he said during his keynote address at the Asean Universities Exhibition and Forum 2025 on Feb 24.
Education is the foundation of a resilient and progressive Asean, he said, adding that while Asean universities are already producing world-class research in science, technology, business and the humanities, we must work together to ensure that these institutions remain competitive amid the rise of global education giants.
The forum was the first to gather all stakeholders from universities across Asean, showcasing collective efforts to build a stronger, more integrated educational ecosystem across the region.
“It is an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue, forge lasting partnerships, and pave the way for a future where education transcends borders,” Zambry said.
During the event, Zambry launched the Asean Global Exchange for Mobility and Scholarship (GEMS) platform – a one-stop scholarship and mobility platform, offering opportunities across the region.
There are 300 scholarships, amounting to approximately US$4mil (RM18mil), available for 2025 across the nations in Asean, he said.
“Scholarships play a critical role in enabling students with potential to access quality education, regardless of financial constraints.
“(GEMS is) a transformative initiative that will serve as a central hub for scholarship opportunities across Asean, empowering students with greater access to academic funding and mobility programmes,” he said.
On another matter, Zambry stressed the need to continue efforts to collect National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) debts.
He said he will issue an official announcement on this “later”.
“As I have said before, the collection of PTPTN loan repayments need to continue,” he said.
Zambry was commenting on the Auditor-General’s report series 1/2025, which found an outstanding loan amounting to RM10.853bil owed by 1.2 million PTPTN borrowers in 2023.
Meanwhile, the repayment amount for 2023 was RM3.553bil.
This was the highest outstanding amount recorded by the education fund on record, with the lowest being in 2018, when PTPTN reported RM6.348bil with 970,000 borrowers.
