KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- The new legal framework to be introduced following the repeal of the Universities and University Colleges Act (AUKU) 1971 must strengthen university autonomy and academic freedom and avoid repeating the shortcomings of the repealed Act, said Deputy Higher Education Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim.
He said the new framework should bring reforms in various aspects, including ensuring more meaningful student participation in the governance of higher education institutions.
“We must really ensure that we can achieve the changes and reforms that we have been advocating all this while. In other words, the repeal of AUKU must not lead to its replacement with another law that is equally oppressive, as has been opposed all this while.
“It should create a platform or an opportunity for all universities and the higher education sector to become more progressive,” he said when contacted during the Reaksi segment produced by Bernama Radio today.
He said the process of drafting the framework will involve broad and inclusive consultations with all stakeholders, including student representatives, university leadership, academics and policymakers.
Adam Adli said the Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) has referred to various historical records, legal interpretations and fundamental recommendations such as the One Higher Education Act outlined in the Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint to ensure that the new framework was built on clear principles.
“We must develop a new framework that is developmental and liberating, and can truly fulfil a university’s potential as a place for the advancement of knowledge, healthy debate, and the freedom to learn and pursue academic activities.
“We must ensure that all relevant parties are involved to ensure that there are no backdoor clauses and the like. We must create broader avenues and more meaningful consultations for all parties who will come under the protection of the Act to be introduced soon,” he said.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government gave its assurance that AUKU would be fully repealed without introducing any new laws that are restrictive or oppressive towards student movements.
Previously, AUKU had undergone seven rounds of amendments since it was introduced in 1971, including amendments in 2012 that allowed students to participate in political party activities outside campus.
The latest amendments in 2024 saw disciplinary action against students at public universities no longer come under the authority of the vice-chancellor, but instead be decided by the Student Disciplinary Committee through amendments to Section 16B of AUKU.
Dr Anuar Ahmad, Deputy Director of the Malaysian Inclusive Development and Advancement Institute (MINDA) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, was previously reported as saying that the repeal of AUKU 1971 should be followed by the establishment of a high-level committee to examine the new legal framework that would ensure the governance and management of higher education institutions remained safeguarded.
-- BERNAMA