RIO DE JANEIRO: There is no longer a need to be heavily dependent on certain top countries or their prestigious universities for good education, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“The traditional thinking of total obsession towards and dependence on particular countries and particular universities, I think, is obsolete and not quite relevant to the dictates of the times,” he said.
Anwar said various ministries, including the Higher Education Ministry, should now look at the possibility of collaboration between universities as well as on research and development.
This, he said, was among the topics discussed in his meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva here last Sunday. Anwar had arrived here on Saturday from Peru.
“Both of us also agreed to work on collaboration in terms of research and development in the aspect of education,” he said at the celebration of Malaysia’s Yinson Holdings Bhd’s floating, production storage and offloading unit, Maria Quiteria, which achieved its first oil production on Oct 15, 2024.
“This would mean we will have more contact, communication and collaboration,” Anwar, who is here for his first official visit and Malaysia being a guest country at the G20 Summit, told Bernama.The commitment towards fostering Global South centrality and neutrality should also include education, he said.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, invited the business community present at the event to invest in Malaysia.
“We would certainly welcome Brazilian investors (to venture into) Malaysia.
“That would also be a wonderful setting in which captains of industry from Brazil can expand their collaboration with Malaysian industry players,” he said.
In a joint statement later, it was confirmed that Lula had accepted the invitation to attend the 47th Asean Summit and related summits in Kuala Lumpur next year.
