CYBERJAYA: There was a 12 percent increase in the enrolment of international students at Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in the country last year.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said out of the total of 151,979 international students in Malaysia, 80.3 per cent are enrolled in HEIs.
“United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) stated that Malaysia is among the favourite education destinations for international students.
“Among the reasons cited include quality of education, cost, quality of life and cultural comfort.
“A lot of students from India, China as well as those from Islamic countries are comfortable living here and they also like the use of English in this country,” he said after visiting the second Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) Student Service Centre here, today.
He added that the 200,000 target set for international student enrolment by 2020 in the country would likely be achieved.
The second EMGS features the Immigration Department Student Pass Unit, which is responsible for the processing of applications and issuance of Visa Approval Letters (VALs).
VALs are issued once all the requirements in the academic screening by EMGS and security screening by the department are met.
Student Pass stickers are also endorsed on the passports at the premises.
Idris said the collaboration by EMGS and the department would help weed out cases of international student pass abuse while ensuring the well-being of the genuine international student community.