FIRST FIVE DAYS A DIFFICULT PERIOD TO HELP M'SIAN STUDENTS IN BRISBANE FLOODS - MINISTER

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 25 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian government could not provide
aid to Malaysian students who were victims of flood in Brisbane, Australia,
during the first five days said Higher Education Minister Mohamed
Khaled Nordin.

He said nobody was allowed access into the affected areas to send aid,
including the Malaysian government.

"It was not possible for aid to reach the flood victims when the flood
waters had submerged the area. There would have been difficulty finding boats
and other facilities to send the aid.

"However, we kept in touch with the authorities and set into motion, every
effort to ensure Malaysian students affected by the floods were safe," he told
reporters here Monday.

He added that all they (Malaysian students) needed during that period (first
five days), was to accept whatever aid and support provided by the Australian
government or others who are allowed to enter the affected areas in Brisbane for
the first five days.

Khaled was commenting on local reports that Malaysian students in
Brisbane
were disappointed with the Malaysian High Commission and the Department of
Students Affairs for failing to provide aid during the floods.

Two weeks ago Queensland suffered one its worst floods in more than a decade
when more than 20,000 houses were submerged by flood waters, causing extensive
damages to property.

Khaled earlier witnessed the signing of an agreement between Iskandar
Education Enterprise Sdn Bhd (IEE) and the University of Southampton
(Southampton) to establish the University of Southampton Malaysia Campus (USMC)
in EduCity, Iskandar Malaysia (EduCity@Iskandar).

The university is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a
global reputation for research and scholarship across a wide range of subjects
in
engineering, science, social science, health, arts and humanities.

Khaled said USMC in EduCity@Iskandar would offer undergraduate and
post-graduate courses in electrical, mechanical and aerospace engineering.

"The university will initially offer undergraduate courses in engineering
taught by Southampton professors in Malaysia for the first two years of the
programme with a seamless transition to Southampton's campus in the United
Kingdom (UK) for the last two years.

"This will guarantee a unique 'Southampton' educational experience,
combining the best Malaysia and the UK," he said.

According to him, USMC was scheduled to be launched in EduCity@Iskandar by
2012 and the first student intake would be by September that year.

He added EduCity@Iskandar was now recognised as the next destination for
higher education in Asia, and was set to attract students from Malaysia and
across Asia.

"We aim to recruit an additional 150,000 foreign students within the next
decade. This is not an unrealistic target. With our large domestic market and
favourable economic policies, Malaysia is ever ready to ride on the growth
potential of the higher education market in Asia," he added.