Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia and South Korea have agreed to establish a Joint Working Committee (JWC) to enhance strategic cooperation in the field of higher education. Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir announced that the committee will also facilitate the implementation of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to be signed by both governments.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the JWC will focus on executing student and lecturer mobility programs, involving the Malaysian Technical University Network, polytechnics, and community colleges in technical collaborations, and engaging South Korean multinational companies in the ‘Work-based Learning’ (WBL) program in Malaysia. These initiatives were discussed during a bilateral meeting between Dr. Zambry and South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Dr. Lee Ju-ho. The meeting took place alongside the second edition of the International Human Capability Initiative (HCI 2025) Conference on April 13-14.

Dr. Zambry highlighted Malaysia’s participation in the HCI 2025 conference, which was under the patronage of Saudi Arabia’s Prime Minister Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman. This participation was seen as an acknowledgment of Malaysia’s role in global human capability development. The conference, themed ‘Beyond Readiness’, attracted over 12,000 participants and 300 speakers from more than 100 countries.

During the Ministerial Roundtable Discussion at the conference, Dr. Zambry shared Malaysia’s initiatives in addressing the challenges posed by the era of artificial intelligence (AI). He emphasized the importance of maintaining ethical and humanitarian values in technological advancement to ensure balanced and inclusive development.

Additionally, Dr. Zambry met with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Education Dr. Yousef Abdullah Al-Benyan to explore collaborations between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, particularly in sharing skilled manpower and the latest technology in higher education.

Dr. Zambry also discussed the Malaysian Higher Education Plan (PPTM) 2025-2035, introducing the concept of ‘unbundling’, which involves breaking down academic program structures into smaller components such as ‘micro-credentials’, individual courses, learning modules, industrial training, and projects. He suggested that this approach could be shared with other countries.