Zahid aims to send more Mara students to UK after US intake halt
Deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said changes in the US higher education policy should be seen as an opportunity to explore higher education in other nations. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA : Deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi aims to send more Mara scholarship students to the UK after the agency's decision to stop sending them to the US from this year.
Zahid said Washington's changes in higher education policy, particularly involving the intake of foreign students, should be seen as an opportunity to explore higher education in other nations.
The rural and regional development minister, whose ministry oversees Mara, said this includes exploring new opportunities in the UK, Bernama reported.
'We know that Mara has decided to stop sending its sponsored students to the US. My approach is this: when there's a threat, there's always an opportunity. We have to look at the other side of the coin.
'In situations like this, I believe the UK education system, which we are familiar with, can be put to good use,' said Zahid, who is on a five-day working trip to the UK until Wednesday.
Yesterday, Mara chairman Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said sponsored students will not be sent to the US from this year in view of new policies and guidelines by US president Donald Trump.
He said sending these students to countries like the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and even China would be cheaper than studying in the US.
The Trump administration recently ordered a halt to visa processing for all foreign students and is considering steps to screen new applicants based on their social media posts.
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