THE Education, Innovation and Talent Development Ministry is embarking on a programme to promote Sarawak as a regional higher education hub.
Minister Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn said the aim was to emulate the success of “Study UK” and “Study Melbourne” in attracting students to study in those countries.
“The ‘Study Sarawak’ programme will complement and enhance the student services offered by education institutions in Sarawak and become a trusted platform to engage with current and future tertiary students.”
He said this when delivering his ministerial winding-up speech during the DUN sitting on Tuesday (May 24).
Sagah said his ministry also sought feedback from institutions of higher learning during a workshop organised on April 27, in which representatives from 13 institutions attended, and they were enthusiastic about the activities planned under ‘Study Sarawak’, for example digital marketing, data sharing, student events and promotions, and integrated education fair.
On another note, he said the state government had engaged with the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration Department and Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) in March, and it was agreed that the Student Application and Registration System (STARS) be extended to both private and public institutions of higher learning in Sarawak.
“A townhall session was held the following day with the institutions of higher learning, and the response was encouraging.
“Hence, my ministry will be conducting a series of meetings to streamline the process for foreign student entry into Sarawak, through the STARS system.”
STARS is managed by EMGS. Through the system, students are able to obtain guidelines to studying in Malaysia, apply for their international student visa and other necessary travel authorisation online.
EMGS is wholly owned by MOHE and is the official gateway for international students who want to study in Malaysia.
