INT'L STUDENTS SHOULD FULFIL CRITERIA BEFORE PASSES CAN BE RENEWED

KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 (Bernama) -- International students in Malaysia must
fulfil certain conditions before their passes can be renewed, the House of
Representatives was told Tuesday.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said the students
must be sponsored by their governments or organisations in their countries and
that the application must be supported by the embassies.

"The ministry is also working with the Home Ministry, particularly the
Immigration Department, to enhance efficiency in the management of international
students," he said during question time Tuesday.

He was replying to Baharum Mohamed, a member of Parliament on steps taken by
the government to ensure that international students were genuine and did not
involve in criminal activities or carrying out trading in the country.

He said based on police statistics, only 17 cases involving international
students were reported.



Of the cases, six were for intimidation, four for corruption, three for
theft, two for molest and one each for rape and causing injuries.

To bring down the number, Saifuddin said the government would only take
students who were under sponsorship from their governments or organisations in
the countries involved.

The government would also continue requiring students to have 80 per cent
attendance in their classes and good academic results as part of the criteria to
renew their passes.

Replying to Chong Eng, another MP on the move to make Malaysia a
hub for regional educational excellence, Saifuddin said the government should
introduce more courses to attract students especially from developing countries.

"Most of international students in Malaysia are from China, Indonesia, Iran,
Nigeria and Yemen. There are 150 United Kingdom students here compared to 12,000
Malaysian students in the UK," he said.

-- BERNAMA