Second edition of Malaysian Qualifications Framework to take effect in August 2026, says Zambry
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said MQF 2.0 is an integrated framework covering all qualifications from the academic sector to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
He added that the updated framework emphasises learning outcomes, a transparent credit system and the integration of sustainability values and national competencies, aimed at producing holistic and responsible graduates.
'This is a proud achievement that reflects the growing internationalisation of Malaysia's higher education sector,' he said at the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) Awards 2025 ceremony last night, which was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Zambry noted that the inaugural awards ceremony was organised to recognise excellence in quality across the country's higher education ecosystem.
Universiti Tenaga Nasional received the Grand Award under the Quality Assurance Grand Award category, taking home a trophy and certificate.
The MQA Awards 2025 covered all higher education sectors, including public and private universities, polytechnics, community colleges, private colleges and public training institutes, in line with the Malaysian Higher Education Strategic Plan (PPTM) 2025–2035. — Bernama
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
10 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
China said to urge firms to shun Nvidia H20 chips tied to security risks, Bloomberg News reports
LONDON, Aug 12 — Chinese authorities have urged local companies to avoid using Nvidia's H20 processors, particularly for government-related purposes, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Authorities have sent notices to a range of firms discouraging use of the less-advanced semiconductors, with the guidance taking a particularly strong stance against the use of Nvidia's H20s for any government or national security-related work by state enterprises or private companies, the report said. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours. Nvidia said in July that its products have no 'backdoors' that would allow remote access or control after China raised concerns over potential security risks in the chipmaker's H20 artificial intelligence chip. US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that he might allow Nvidia to sell a scaled-down version of its next-generation advanced GPU chip, Blackwell, in China, despite deep-seated fears in Washington that China could harness US AI capabilities to supercharge its military. The most advanced chip Nvidia is currently allowed to sell to China is the H20, which is based off the company's older Hopper architecture platform. The Trump administration green-lighted exports of H20 AI to China last month. The Trump administration last week also confirmed an unprecedented deal with Nvidia and AMD to give the US government 15 per cent of revenue from sales of some advanced chips in China. China's renewed guidance on avoiding chips also impacts AI accelerators from Advanced Micro Devices, the Bloomberg report said, adding that it was unclear whether any notices from Chinese authorities specifically mentioned AMD's MI308 chip. AMD did not respond to a request for comment outside regular business. — Reuters
Malay Mail
40 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
US extension of its truce on tariffs is just kicking the can further down the road — Phar Kim Beng
AUG 12 — Donald Trump's latest move to extend the 90-day pause on punitive tariffs with China until November 9, 2025, is less a triumph of diplomacy than a tactical delay — a familiar act of kicking the can down the road. Come November 9 2025 there is no certainty that US would act any differently from now since Christmas and New Year would be around the corner. It would be officially one year away from the mid term of American Congress in 2026. Should prices should up in 2025, they can't come down in 2026 to give the Trump Administration the necessary electoral advantage. What's happening in US trade tactics now demonstrate the weak hand that Trump possesses. Although in the larger scheme of things, given the anaemic growth of Chinese economy, the US does feel it is more superior. By kicking the can down the road, delays become a way to test the extent to which China can withstand even more uncertainty in the months ahead. The reality is that markets may breathe easier for now, avoiding the immediate shock of triple-digit tariffs — up to 145 per cent from the US and 125 per cent from China. Research from Goldman Sachs has shown that up to June 2025, all the tariffs imposed by Trump have been absorbed by 22 percent of the American consumers. If deeper trade war begins to unfold, up to 67 percent of the American consumers would have to absorb the cost of pricier goods. Yet the fundamental tensions between US and China remain unchanged. Both refuse to budge but to keep talking. This is not the architecture of a durable peace in trade relations; it is the scaffolding of temporary political theatre. With or without Trump in future, trade wars will always befuddle Sino US relationship not unlike the tech war. Since what offends Washington DC is China's perennial trade surplus against the US. The timing of extending the truce, however, is far from coincidental. The extension spares American consumers from a potential price shock ahead of the holiday shopping season in between August and November 2025 too. Electronics, toys, and clothing will still be expensive, but the narrative of 'stability' can be sold and re-told; even though any form of trade wars are usually ruinous on both and all sides. In the short term, Trump's extension is a neat political maneuver. In the long term, it is strategic drift disguised as progress. Since this is the third time that Trump has extended the truce. While Trump's extension can test the patience of China, it can also reveal the inability of US to execute a full decoupling from China. If anything, the two may well have to concede on the need to recouple. For now, Trump is taking his usual hardline on trade. For one, by demanding that China quadruple its soybean purchases. This move exemplifies the problem: headline-friendly but strategically shallow since Trump cannot come around to admit that American economy is addicted to imports not from China but many parts of the world. An extension on the truce does nothing to address structural imbalances, safeguard technological competition, or resolve disputes over market access. Instead, it sets the stage for further brinkmanship when the next deadline approaches — whether in 90 days or 900. When prolonged, the game Trump plays will be akin to the politics of muddling through; even though time and again he will insist that he has not detracted from Making American Great Again. Even more worrying is the precedent of monetizing export rights, with US tech giants such as Nvidia and AMD reportedly paying 15 per cent of their China revenues just to keep selling in the Chinese market. Trump has turned to extorting from American firms. Such measures are not a sign of strategic clarity; they are a tax on global interdependence, one that risks cascading into other sectors and allies. For Southeast Asia, and Asean in particular, this prolonged uncertainty is more than a background hum — it reverberates across supply chains, commodity prices, and regional investment climates. Trump likes international trade, in other words, only when everything goes his way. Asean can comprehend this logic. But Asean would have to consolidate its own markets as well as reaching out to the likes of BRICS. For now the pause may delay turbulence, but it also delays clarity, leaving governments and businesses in a perpetual state of hedge and recalibration. Trump's extension is therefore not a resolution but an intermission. It buys time, not trust; optics, not outcomes. The US appears unwilling to either escalate decisively or negotiate conclusively. Instead, it is content to occupy a grey zone of suspended tension — enough to posture, never enough to settle. Meanwhile, China will grit its teeth and hold out for as long as possible. This is not necessarily difficult for China to do, granted its prior lock down of almost three years during the height of the Covid pandemic. In trade diplomacy, as in geopolitics, momentum matters. By opting for delay over decision, Washington risks squandering whatever leverage it still holds; even though Trump believes he is piling up more pressure on China since China is aging and unable to get out of its lethargic GDP growth to hit at least 5.5 to 6 percent each year. For now, the world watches the calendar, knowing that November may simply bring another performance of the same play — just with a new deadline. * Phar Kim Beng is a professor of Asean Studies and Director of the Institute of Internationalization and Asean Studies at the International Islamic University of Malaysia ** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
Malay Mail
40 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
StarHub seals S$105m MyRepublic buyout as Keppel strikes S$1.43b M1 deal with Simba in telco shake-up
SINGAPORE, Aug 12 — Singapore's telecommunications sector is seeing a fresh wave of consolidation, with StarHub completing its S$105.2 million (RM345 million) purchase of MyRepublic's broadband business just a day after Keppel announced plans to sell M1's telecom operations to Simba Telecom for S$1.43 billion. According to a report published in CNA, StarHub, which already owned 50.1 per cent of MyRepublic Broadband, has bought the remaining 49.9 per cent stake along with the MyRepublic brand in Singapore and key operational assets. The deal comprises S$94.3 million for shares and S$10.9 million for assets, according to a Singapore Exchange filing. 'This isn't just an acquisition. It's an acceleration,' said StarHub chief executive Nikhil Eapen, adding that full ownership will allow the company to 'move faster, go further' in a consolidating broadband market where scale, quality and resilience are increasingly important. The telco said there are no immediate plans for restructuring or changes to existing services. MyRepublic said its mobile operations in Singapore and New Zealand, and its digital platform arm, will continue as usual. On Monday, Keppel said it would sell its 83.9 per cent stake in M1's telecom business to Simba — owned by Australia-listed Tuas — while retaining M1's ICT operations, including data centres and subsea cables. Keppel will receive S$1 billion in cash proceeds from the sale, which CEO Loh Chin Hua called 'a strategic path to sustainable growth' for the sector. Simba currently holds 14.4 per cent of Singapore's postpaid mobile market and less than 1 per cent of broadband, while M1 has 23.9 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. The combined entity aims to expand its mobile and broadband footprint, accelerate 5G rollout, and strengthen its enterprise platform. Both transactions require approval from the Infocomm Media Development Authority, which said it will assess the deals to ensure they support competition, benefit consumers and promote sustainable growth.
