KUALA LUMPUR: The Higher Education Ministry is ready to consider the suggestion to allocate additional incentives for private institutions of higher learning to expand their research and development programmes under the 2025 Budget.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, said such measures will not only benefit private learning institutions in the country but could contribute to the betterment of the nation and the public.
"If you still remember, the prime minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) said (previously) that we have to look into the nature of contributions (for the nation's development).
"As such, if it (the incentive) is meant for the purpose of a research grant that will not only benefit the university but the public and the nation as well, it can be considered.
"It is still premature for me to answer anything at this stage, but we are ready to consider," he said during a dialogue session at the launch of the Digital Skills TVET initiated by University College Sedaya International (UCSI), today.
Present during the launch were UCSI group chief executive officer and vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir and former health minister and UCSI adjunct professor Khairy Jamaluddin.
Zambry said this when asked by Khairy, who moderated the session, whether his ministry has any plans to provide incentives for private institutions of higher learning.
Khairy, in his question, had also asked if private institutions of higher learning that provide grants for research and development purposes could be qualified for tax incentives to encourage the growth of scholarships and research for students.
In tabling the 2024 Budget last year, Anwar had increased the allocation for the ministry to RM16.3 billion from the RM15.3 billion the previous year.