PUTRAJAYA, March 5 (Bernama) — All Malaysian students in conflict areas in the Middle East are safe and the Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) is closely monitoring the situation said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.
He said MOHE is working closely with the Foreign Ministry to ensure that the safety of students in the region remains at the highest level.
“We are cooperating with the Foreign Ministry to observe developments and the position of our students as well as Malaysians as a whole.
“Thus far, all of them are safe and monitoring is constantly carried out by MOHE,” he told reporters after the ministry’s Monthly Assembly and Ramadan Ukhuwah Programme 2026 here today.
Asked about the process for the students to return home for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration, Zambry said the ministry will study and monitor developments in the Middle East crisis before providing any response.
Yesterday, Zambry said MOHE would seek guidance from the Foreign Ministry before deciding on any further action regarding efforts to bring home Malaysian students currently in conflict areas in the Middle East.
According to Zambry, matters relating to overseas crises will be led by the Foreign Ministry as the lead ministry coordinating diplomatic and international security affairs.
On the issue of governance and financial management irregularities at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Zambry said MOHE has left it to the university’s top management to take improvement measures.
He said the university management must cooperate with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) or the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), which are conducting investigations.
“From MOHE’s side, we have set the rules for them to follow and those have already been put in place,” he said.
Yesterday, MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the commission had opened two investigation papers into governance and financial management irregularities at UKM reported in the Auditor-General’s Report (LKAN) 1/2026.
On Feb 23, LKAN 1/2026 revealed that UKM faced serious irregularities and governance breaches in the collection of student fee revenue and expenditure at the university that did not comply with laws and financial regulations.
— BERNAMA
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