BD, Malaysia move to deepen coop in edu
Bangladesh and Malaysia have agreed to strengthen collaboration in higher education, scholarships, and skills development, with Dhaka seeking greater opportunities for students and improved workforce mobility.
The understanding was reached during a bilateral meeting in Putrajaya between Prime Minister’s Adviser on Education, Labour and Employment Mahdi Amin and Malaysia’s Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir, according to a press release from the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.
Bangladesh’s Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury also attended the meeting.Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral cooperation in education and skills development.
Malaysia recognised the mandate of the elected government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and expressed interest in strengthening institutional ties.
Mahdi Amin highlighted Bangladesh’s focus on improving global competitiveness through broader international education opportunities and called for increased scholarship provisions for Bangladeshi students in Malaysia.
He also stressed the importance of structured scholarship systems to ensure academic quality, student welfare, and social integration.He further proposed enhancing university partnerships, academic exchanges, and joint programmes through transparent and sustainable frameworks.
Zambry Abdul Kadir welcomed these proposals and indicated Malaysia’s willingness to expand scholarship opportunities under both existing and future programmes.Malaysia also shared that more than 11,000 Bangladeshi students are currently studying there, many enrolled in private institutions. Both sides acknowledged the role of these students in strengthening academic and socio-economic ties.
Discussions also covered mutual recognition of qualifications, joint degree programmes, distance learning, and flexible education pathways aligned with labour market demands.Graduate mobility and skills development were key focus areas, with Bangladesh seeking greater professional opportunities for its students.
Malaysia expressed openness to exploring supportive frameworks in line with its education policies.Both countries agreed to enhance scholarship systems, improve student support, and further deepen long-term educational and people-to-people cooperation to build a sustainable knowledge-based partnership.
