Changes to scholarship arrangements, recognition of universities offering medical degrees and recognition of Australian legal qualifications.
Medicine
All universities recognised under the current Schedule 2 of the Medical Act 1971 are being reviewed. AEI Malaysia has been advised that a full AMC type accreditation process may be undertaken for institutions wishing to remain on the schedule. The formal advice is that costs of the site visits are to be borne by the institution, although there may be some flexibility for certain foreign institutions, depending on the local accreditation process. Until the review process is complete, no new applications for recognition will be considered unless the application is for a twinning arrangement with a Malaysian institution or a program to be conducted at a foreign branch campus university in Malaysia.
Pharmacy
The Malaysian Government has ceased funding scholarships for pharmacy studies offshore because of concerns about the large number of pharmacy graduates in Malaysia. There are 17 institutions (five public and 12 private) currently offering Pharmacy programs in Malaysia (including Monash and Nottingham branch campuses). In addition, seven Australian university pharmacy programs are currently recognised by the Public Service Department/Malaysian Pharmacy Board for entry into public service employment. The recognition list is expected to be reviewed in the near future.
Law
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which is making representations for recognition of Australian legal qualifications in Malaysia, advises that application for recognition of 14 legal programs from certain Australian universities is still pending. AEI Malaysia will provide an update as soon as further information becomes available.
Public Service Scholarships
The Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA or Public Service Department) has confirmed that the foreign scholarship program it manages will be awarding scholarships only to students with offers from universities ranked in the top 50 of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. The recognition of Australian undergraduate degrees in Arts, Social Science and Science for public employment purposes continues.