IPTs Asked To Submit Information On Returning Foreign Students

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 (Bernama) -- The Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) has instructed institutions of higher learning (IPT) to provide detailed information on their foreign students who are returning to Malaysia before they can be allowed to resume their studies. Its minister Dr Noraini Ahmad said the information should be submitted to Education Malaysia Global Service (EMGS) prior to obtaining approval to enter the country from the Immigration Department. EMGS, under the purview of MOHE, is the principal body that manages the movement of international students in Malaysia. “I was informed that the public and private IPTs are in the midst of updating the information. Based on statistics, the highest number of applications (to enter Malaysia) was by students from Indonesia, Thailand and Pakistan,” she told reporters after launching the Riverside Cafe On The Go at the Putra World Trade Centre here, Thursday. Noraini said the returning students would be required to undergo swab tests for COVID-19 screening and the 14-day quarantine, which were part of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to contain the pandemic set by the Ministry of Health and the National Security Council. Previously, the government had announced the decision to allow foreign students to return to Malaysia to resume studies at their respective IPTs starting October. Asked on the registration process for local IPT students from the Peninsular to Sabah and Sarawak and vice versa, Noraini said it would be announced soon, pending discussions between the IPTs and state governments. -- BERNAMA