Kuala lumpur: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) has reallocated its sponsored students for the 2025 and 2026 intakes from the United States (US) to several alternative countries following policy and geopolitical uncertainties there, the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) said.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, in a written reply in the Dewan Rakyat, the ministry stated that the students would be placed in countries that host leading universities offering critical fields of study comparable to those available in the US, with equivalent academic quality and global recognition. The decision was described as a prudent risk management measure to ensure that students are not exposed to risks arising from the prevailing political situation in the US.

The ministry emphasized that the placement of students in alternative countries would not compromise access, quality, or opportunities for MARA-sponsored students to obtain a world-class education in strategic fields required by the nation. KKDW was responding to a question from Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (PN-Merbok) regarding the rationale behind MARA's decision to stop sending sponsored students to the US and whether this move considered Bumiputera human capital development, access to world-class universities, and the nation's needs in critical, high-impact fields.

Furthermore, the ministry assured that MARA would continue to monitor developments in the geopolitical and policy landscape in the US and was prepared to resume sending sponsored students to leading universities there should conditions become stable and conducive in the future. The move was highlighted as a demonstration of MARA's sponsorship policy being dynamic, flexible, and focused on the best interests of Bumiputera human capital development at the international level.