MARA To Sponsor Top Students For Special 'Ivy League' Programme Next Year

KOTA BHARU, Oct 30 (Bernama) -- Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) will sponsor the country’s top-performing students to participate in a special programme for Ivy League universities, expected to commence next year.

Its chairman, Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said preparation for the special programme is now in its final stages.

“We will initiate a special project by selecting outstanding students to attend prestigious ‘Ivy League’ universities like Cambridge, Oxford and Harvard, and the programme is expected to begin next year.

“This special programme is almost ready, but we want to further evaluate the university selection, tuition costs and programmes chosen to ensure they are needed and relevant for the country for the next five to 10 years,” he told reporters after officiating the closing ceremony of the International Conference on Teacher Education 2024 (ICTE'24) here today.

Elaborating, Asyraf Wajdi said 4,577 outstanding MARA-sponsored students were sent abroad for studies this year, with an estimated total expenditure of RM2 billion.

“We will continue to work with relevant ministries and the Public Service Department (JPA) to identify strategic fields needed by the country, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), engineering and computer science,” he said.

Meanwhile, when asked about the performance of MARA’s business premises seen as “lacklustre”, Asyraf Wajdi said MARA is reviewing all 6,666 premises and will take strict action against business owners who do not manage their businesses diligently.

“Since early this year, I have stated clearly that action will be taken against premises operating in name only or used as storage spaces, with little effort to open and conduct business as this impacts entrepreneurs who are serious about doing business. 

“We do not want them (business owners) to take advantage of the low rental by denying the rights of others who are genuinely committed to expanding their businesses,” he added.

-- BERNAMA