JEDDAH: FOUZIA KHAN
Tuesday 23 April 2013
Last Update 23 April 2013 2:58 am
More than 32 leading universities and educational institutions from Malaysia participated in the two-day Malaysian higher education fair at the Malaysian Consulate in Jeddah, which took off Sunday.
The fair aimed to showcase the opportunities of studying in Malaysia for Saudis and expats in the Kingdom. “We are offering a lifelong learning curve for students. There are also opportunities for advanced courses, such as Master's and Ph.D. programs,” said Ahmed Rezal Chan, who works for the fair organizer Rexpo. He said engineering, medicine and information technology (IT) are popular areas of expertise in Malaysia. “Last year, almost 4,000 people visited the fair in two days, and we are expecting the same this year,” said Chan.
Mohammed Khalid Abbasi Abdul Razak, Malaysian Consul General, said: “The universities in Malaysia are affordable and offer value for money in comparison to the universities in the UK and the US, but the standard and quality is the same. Moreover, Malaysia is a Muslim country so students can enjoy the Islamic environment and halal food. We arranged a small food festival at the fair so the students can familiarize themselves with Malaysian cuisine.”
Out of a total of 80,000 international students from more than 100 countries in Malaysia, almost 2,000 are Saudi nationals. Malaysian universities follow the British curriculum and are recognized worldwide. “Our target is to get more than 100,000 international students in 2013,” said Razak. He said Malaysia is a tourist country and a major educational hub with quality education in Asia.
Ali Ahmed Ali, a Yemeni national, said he was looking for information about the University of Technology, Malaysia and Malaysia University of Science to continue his education in mechanical engineering. “My two older brothers are already studying in Malaysia so I want to complete my education there as well. I have already been to Malaysia for educational purposes, so I believe a Malaysian university would be the best,” he said. Another student, Ahmed Al-Sayed, said he wanted to join the Malaysian University for his career in information technology (IT).
Mohammed Khalid Abbasi Abdul Razak, Malaysian Consul General, at the Malaysian higher education fair in Jeddah. (AN photo by Fouzia Khan)