MALAYSIA, S. KOREA TO SET UP JWC TO STRENGTHEN STRATEGIC COOPERATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

PUTRAJAYA, April 15 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and South Korea have agreed to establish a Joint Working Committee (JWC) to strengthen strategic cooperation in higher education.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said this committee will also implement the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to be signed by the governments of both countries before that.

“This includes the implementation of the student and lecturer mobility programmes, the involvement of the Malaysian Technical University Network, polytechnics, and community colleges in technical collaborations, and the engagement of South Korean multinational companies in the implementation of the 'Work-based Learning' (WBL) programme in Malaysia," he said in a statement today.

Zambry said these matters were agreed upon during a bilateral meeting with South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Dr. Lee Ju-ho, held in conjunction with the second edition of the International Human Capability Initiative (HCI 2025) Conference on April 13-14.

Elaborating on the HCI 2025, he said Malaysia’s participation in the prestigious conference under the patronage of Saudi Arabia’s Prime Minister Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman was an acknowledgment of the country's role in global human capability development.

Themed “Beyond Readiness”, the conference attracted over 12,000 participants and 300 speakers from more than 100 countries.

Zambry said he shared Malaysia's key initiatives in facing the era of artificial intelligence (AI) during the Ministerial Roundtable Discussion, which gathered higher education ministers from more than 20 countries.

"I also emphasised the importance of maintaining ethical and humanitarian values in technological advancement so that the development that occurs is balanced and inclusive," he said.

Zambry said he also had the opportunity to meet with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Education Dr. Yousef Abdullah Al-Benyan to discuss collaborations between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, particularly in the sharing of skilled manpower and latest technology in higher education.

As part of HCI 2025’s main agenda, Zambry said he also shared about the shifts that will be made in the Malaysian Higher Education Plan (PPTM) 2025–2035 when he appeared as a panellist at the forum.

"We are also introducing the concept of 'unbundling', which is the breakdown of academic programme structures into smaller components such as 'micro-credentials', individual courses, learning modules, industrial training and projects.

"This is something that might be new and can be shared with other countries,” he added.

-- BERNAMA