PARIT: The Madina Institute South Africa is set to open a branch in Seri Iskandar, said Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.
Saarani said that the founder and director of the institute, Shaykh Muhammad Yahya al-Ninowy, had personally visited and offered to establish a branch in the state.
"I initially asked him to meet with the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah (USAS chancellor) as I didn't want the institute to compete with Universiti Sultan Azlan Shah (USAS).
"However, USAS vice-chancellor Professor (Datuk Dr) Wan Sabri Wan Yusof met with him (Shaykh Muhammad Yahya) and assured that the institute would complement, rather than compete with USAS," he said.
Saarani told reporters after attending 'Meet Young People' Jom Healing Programme at Pulau Cempakasari here, today.
Since there is no competition in terms of subjects, Saarani said the state government agreed to accept the offer.
"The letter of acceptance was handed over during the WCIT (World Conference on Islamic Thought and Civilisation) event.
"Now the task is to determine where to place it. We explored many locations, and finally, we decided to give him the opportunity to build the university in Seri Iskandar.
"Because the offer was facilitated by Yayasan Perak, the land application will be made through Yayasan Perak," he added.
Saarani said he and state Education, Higher Education, Youth and Sports Committee chairman Khairudin Abu Hanipah are also scheduled to visit the institute in Cape Town.
"We are working to make this happen," he said adding that the delegation would be there from Jan 12 until Jan 20, next year to further discuss the project.
Regarding the timeline, Saarani said that the process will require several steps, including land approval and a feasibility study to ensure the suitability of the site.
"We have already started the application process and we hope the Higher Education Ministry will approve it soon. We've also applied for the necessary licenses from the ministry.
"All legal matters have been resolved. What remains now is the construction of the building," he added.