The inaugural Malaysia-Australia Tertiary Education Conference took place in Sydney in December 2016.
The first conference of its kind, the purpose was to share, discuss and discover opportunities for education cooperation between Malaysia and Australia.
The event was attended by Australian and Malaysian universities and higher education institutions, government officials, business representatives, services providers and students.
In discussions on the future of the Malaysia-Australia educational partnership, 2015 Malaysia New Colombo Plan Scholar Sonia Parulekar shared her views on studying in Malaysia, the value of overseas internships and the importance of maintaining connections to the region through the New Colombo Plan Alumni Program.
Ms Parulekar was joined in the panel discussion by Ms Karen Sandercock, Branch Manager Policy and Systems Branch Department of Education and Training, The Hon Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia and member of the New Colombo Plan Reference Group, as well as Dato' Prof Dr. Rujhan bin Mustafa, CEO of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency and Professor Dr Nor Haniza Sarmin, Director of Global Education ay Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
In his keynote address, the Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry, the Hon Mustapa Mohamed underscored his support for the New Colombo Plan and encouraged more Australian students to study in Malaysia.
Participants also had the opportunity to hear presentations on student mobility, Islamic studies and technical, vocational education and training.
Ms Caroline Mulas from the NCP Secretariat noted the growing interest from Australian universities and students for study in Malaysia and explained how the New Colombo Plan was encouraging Australian undergraduates to study and undertake work-based placements in the region, including in Malaysia.
Between 2015 and 2017, around 800 students will undertake study and work-based experiences in Malaysia supported by the New Colombo Plan.
More information about the conference can be found on the Education Malaysia Australia website.
