Setting Up Of Varsities Offering Medical Courses Frozen

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 (Bernama) -- The Cabinet yesterday decided to freeze the establishment of private institutions of higher learning (IPTS) for medical courses, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed.
He said the decision was made as the Cabinet felt that the 10 existing IPTS offering medical courses were sufficient.
At the same time, he said, the National Accreditation Board (LAN) and the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) would carry out an audit on local IPTS.
"We want to ensure that the quality of local IPTS offering medical studies is in line with the standards set by the government," he said when winding up the debate on the 2007 Budget for his ministry at the Dewan Rakyat Thursday.
Mustapa said his ministry would also grade local IPTS early next year to check on the standard of learning at these institutions.
"We will introduce grades A, B and C and IPTS which are given grade C will be issued a show-cause letter before being asked to close down," he added
The minister said the move to carry out the audit on IPTS was part of the effort to monitor their activities compared with public institutions of higher learning (IPTA) which were subjected to the Universities and University Colleges Act (AUKU).
On the suggestion that the AUKU be abolished, he said a study carried out by the ministry recently found that 90 per cent of parents wanted the Act to be maintained.