More Malaysians to be given N.Z. university places—Mr Marshall

Press, 24 January 1986, Page 5

More Malaysians to be given N.Z. university places—Mr Marshall

PA Kuala Lumpur The number of places for Malaysian students at New Zealand universities will Increase, not decrease, this year, said the Minister of Education, Mr Marshall, yesterday. Associated Press reported the Malaysian Education Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, as saying New Zealand might reduce the vacancies for Malaysian students in technical and professional courses such as medicine, engineering and accountancy. The reason was more New Zealand students taking such courses, Mr Abdullah said on Tuesday after talks with Mr Marshall.

While the vacancies for

Malaysian engineering students was down, Mr Marshall said the same number of places had been made available in engineering for all overseas students. The number of engineering places for Malaysian students this year was 32 compared with 40 last year, but there were 110 commerce places for Malaysians compared with 106 last year. With medicine, university authorities had offered places to all qualified Malaysian applicants, Mr Marshall, who is in Brunei, said in a statement released by his Wellington office. But Malaysian authorities could not accept such offers, partly because

New Zealand could not offer clinical training.

Mr Marshall said a total of 325 offers were made to Malaysian students this year — a substantial increase over last year.

“It is true that the growth in the numbers of New Zealand students attending universities in the last five years or so has put pressure on places that can be offered to overseas students,” he said.

“Nevertheless, the Government attaches a very high priority to easing the entry of overseas students to New Zealand universities as part of our development assistance programme.”