Malaysia and Bangladesh have agreed to strengthen cooperation in higher education, scholarship programmes and skills development, aiming to enhance academic and professional opportunities for students.
The understanding was reached during a bilateral meeting between Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Adviser on Education, Labour and Employment Mahdi Amin, and Malaysia’s Minister of Higher Education, Zambry Abdul Kadir, held Friday at the Ministry of Higher Education in Putrajaya.
The talks centered on expanding collaboration in higher education, research, skills development and workforce mobility.
Both sides placed particular emphasis on increasing scholarship opportunities and improving the integration of Bangladeshi students into Malaysian society, according to a press release, High Commission of Bangladesh in Malaysia.
Bangladesh’s Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ariful Haque Chowdhury also attended the meeting.
At the outset, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties in education and human resource development.
Malaysia recognised the mandate of Bangladesh’s newly elected government under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and expressed willingness to enhance institutional cooperation under evolving policy frameworks.
Mahdi Amin highlighted Bangladesh’s priority to expand access to international education as part of efforts to improve the global competitiveness of its workforce.
He stressed the need to broaden academic opportunities across disciplines and increase scholarship provisions for Bangladeshi students in Malaysia.
He also underscored the importance of a structured scholarship system that supports not only academic excellence but also student welfare, safety and social integration. Stronger institutional mechanisms, he noted, are essential to ensure inclusion, community engagement and access to support services for Bangladeshi students abroad.
The adviser further called for enhanced inter-university partnerships, expansion of academic exchange programmes and the development of joint educational initiatives with Malaysian institutions, with a focus on long-term sustainability.
Welcoming the proposals, Zambry Abdul Kadir said Malaysia is prepared to consider expanding scholarship allocations for Bangladeshi students under both existing and future higher education programmes.
The Malaysian side also highlighted its diverse higher education landscape, comprising public and private universities with specialised expertise across various fields.
Officials noted that more than 11,000 Bangladeshi students are currently studying in Malaysia, many of them enrolled in private institutions.
Both countries acknowledged the positive contributions of these students to academic exchange and socio-economic linkages, as well as their role in national development upon returning home.
Discussions also covered mutual recognition of qualifications, joint degree programmes, distance learning and flexible education systems. Both sides agreed on aligning academic curricula with labour market demands and priority economic sectors.
Graduate mobility and skills development featured prominently in the talks. Mahdi Amin emphasised the need for adequate professional training and employment opportunities for Bangladeshi students and graduates in Malaysia. In response, the Malaysian minister expressed interest in exploring supportive frameworks in line with the country’s international education policies.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to strengthening scholarship frameworks, enhancing student support systems and deepening long-term educational and people-to-people ties-seen as vital to building a sustainable, knowledge-based partnership between the two nations.
