Govt to standardise university disciplinary rules under new law

The government plans to standardise university disciplinary regulations under a proposed law to replace the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (Auku), higher education minister Zambry Abd Kadir said today.

He said the proposed One Higher Education Act could consolidate several existing laws into a single framework covering universities, polytechnics and pre-university programmes such as matriculation.

“We have found inconsistencies in the regulations set by universities, where certain activities are allowed at some institutions but prohibited at others,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.

He was responding to a supplementary question from Ahmad Marzuk Shaary (PN-Pengkalan Chepa), who asked what safeguards the proposed law would provide to ensure that students critical of the government are given the same treatment as those who support it.

Zambry said the ministry would engage student groups across the political landscape when drafting the new legislation, regardless of whether they support the government.

He said the ministry had also taken immediate steps to expand student freedoms amid ongoing work on the new legislation.

“These measures include the freedom to manage student associations and clubs, organise activities, speak freely, assemble peacefully, use communication platforms, and distribute and publish documents,” he said.

However, Zambry did not specify when the proposed legislation would be tabled in Parliament, despite being asked whether it would be tabled in December.

He said the proposed legislation was intended to provide a comprehensive framework for Malaysia’s higher education system for the next 10 to 30 years.

On Aug 15, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that Auku would be abolished as previous amendments to the Act had failed to fully address students’ concerns.

He later said the government aimed to table the bill to replace Auku in the Dewan Rakyat this year.

Enacted in 1971, Auku has long been the subject of debate over students’ freedom to protest, organise and express their views on political and public issues.

The Act was last amended in 2024 to give student associations greater autonomy over fundraising and other activities.

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