KUALA LUMPUR – The Higher Education Ministry has given its assurance that amendments to the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (Auku) will be made to address its existing weaknesses, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Its minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said that one of the matters being considered was allowing student associations to manage their own accounts.
“We will try to raise this matter in the next parliamentary session,” he said during Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Dr Kelvin Yii (Bandar Kuching-PH) who said that Auku still has some provisions that restrict the freedom of university students in various aspects.
Khaled said that the government has given university students the freedom to join any political parties, whether on or off campus, which includes becoming candidates in elections.
“All these matters have already been relaxed and may include what has been proposed by Yang Berhormat (Mersing),” he said in response to a supplementary question by Muhammad Islahuddin Abas (Mersing-PN).
Earlier, Islahuddin had asked whether the ministry would allow political party organisations to establish their branches in university campuses to promote democratic practices and cultivate mature politics in line with education reform.
Meanwhile, Khaled said that since the government has no proposal to repeal Auku, the appointment of vice-chancellors of public universities by the minister will be done in accordance with the procedures and provisions of the relevant law approved by Parliament. – Bernama, March 2, 2023
