KUALA LUMPUR: The Higher Education Ministry has reiterated that there have been no discussions regarding the admission of non-Bumiputera students to Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).
Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir emphasised that this issue had not been considered at any level within the ministry or the cabinet.
"This matter has never been brought up for discussion or approval within the Higher Education Ministry," he said, reaffirming his previous statement on May 2.
Previously, the health website Codeblue reported that UiTM was considering opening its cardiothoracic surgery postgraduate training programme to non-Bumiputera trainees.
UiTM Medical Faculty Professor Dr Raja Amin Raja Mokhtar proposed this as a solution to the issue of unrecognised parallel pathways for training in cardiothoracic surgery.
Dr Raja Amin had said that the UiTM-National Heart Institute cardiothoracic surgery parallel pathway training programme was the only one of its kind offered locally.
In response, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) on May 9 urged UiTM to allow non-Bumiputera students to enrol in the specialised training program, citing that international students could already enrol at the university.
MMA president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz stated that such a move would be in the best interest of public health and address acute shortages in specialists
Zambry added that controversy surrounding the issue was deliberately fabricated by certain parties with the intent of undermining UiTM's founding policies and objectives.
"This would cause confusion and discord among various stakeholders.
"The Higher Education Ministry stands firm on Article 1A of Act 173, emphasising that UiTM was established following Article 153 of the Federal Constitution," he said.