Education ties with Malaysia strengthened

Education links between Australia and Malaysia are set to strengthen with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries today.

Senator Chris Evans, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, said the signing of this MoU establishes an agreement between the two countries to encourage and promote cooperation in school/institution links and exchanges, teacher training and professional development, technical and vocational education and a range of other areas.

“Cooperation under this MoU will include the exchange of education-related materials and publications and conferences, workshops, study visits and scholarships,” Senator Evans said.

Australia and Malaysia have a long tradition of cooperation in education, going back to the Colombo plan which began in 1950. Today’s MoU builds on already strong links including sister schools, teacher exchange and teacher training.

“Australia is one of the most popular overseas education and training destinations for Malaysian students, with more than 300,000 Malaysian students having studied in Australia,” Senator Evans said.

“The number of Malaysian students enrolling to study in Australia is increasing year on year – in 2010, more than 23,000 Malaysians enrolled in Australian institutions.”

There are also growing opportunities for Australian institutions to establish themselves in Malaysia. Three Australian universities now have campuses in Malaysia, and approximately 22,000 Malaysian students study Australian programs in Malaysia.

“Today’s agreement formalises our current cooperative arrangements and provides the basis for a long-term, sustainable and mutually beneficial education relationship,” Senator Evans said.

“The Australian Government believes this partnership gives us an opportunity to work more closely together to enhance and increase cooperation in education.

“Both our nations stand to benefit from these close and enduring ties.”