HIGHER EDUCATION MINISTRY MONITORS SAFETY OF M'SIAN STUDENTS IN KOREA

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 24 (Bernama) -- The Higher Education Ministry will monitor
the safety of Malaysian students in South Korea from time to time as the
situation in the country is tense, said the Deputy Director-General of Public
Institutions of Higher Learning, Higher Education Department, Prof Dr Rujhan
Mustafa.

However, he said, the ministry had not received any instruction from Wisma
Putra nor the National Security Council (NSC) on the matter so far.

"As we have not received any instruction from Wisma Putra (Ministry of
Foreign Affairs) nor the NSC on the
safety of the students, we still consider the matter as not pressing.

"But if there is specific instruction, then we will take certain measures,"
he told reporters after attending a ceremony to hand over duties of the
Secretary-General of the Ministry, Dr Zulkefli A. Hassan, to the new
Secretary-General, here Wednesday.

He said this when commenting on the safety of Malaysian students in South
Korea following the tension in the Korean Peninsula following the artillery
bombardment on Yeonpyeong Island in South Korea by North Korea and the return
artillery fire by South Korea.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Director-General (Development, Management and
Transformation) of the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Manpower
Planning Unit (Mampu), Ab Rahim Md Noor, will begin duty as the new
Secretary-General of the Higher Education Ministry Thursday, succeeding Dr
Zulkefli who retired Wednesday.

Ab Rahim said he wanted to make sure that the strategic direction that
ministry had set would be attained as soon as possible according to the target.

"I would like to share with the ministry's staff the experience that we have
in Mampu regarding the delivery system enhancement and work culture," he said
when asked about his immediate plans on his appointment as the new Higher
Education Ministry Secretary-General.

-- BERNAMA