‘Beginning, not the end’: Abim calls for broader higher education reform after AUKU repeal

Picture for illustration purposes only. Abim president Ahmad Fahmi Mohd Samsudin called for a comprehensive post-AUKU legal framework that balances student freedom with strong institutional governance. — Picture by Miera Zulyana

First Published: Saturday, 15 Aug 2026 5:04 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 — The repeal of the Universities and University Colleges Act (AUKU) 1971 will create new opportunities to reform the country’s higher education framework, said the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim).

Welcoming the move to repeal the Act, Abim president Ahmad Fahmi Mohd Samsudin called on the government to formulate a comprehensive post-AUKU legal framework covering the country’s entire higher education ecosystem.

He said the focus should now be on building a new higher education ecosystem that strikes a balance between student freedom and strong institutional governance.

“The repeal of AUKU does not remove the need for strong university governance. The post-AUKU framework must strike a balance between student and academic freedom and institutional autonomy, integrity, accountability and academic excellence.

“This reform must go beyond activism and be felt by all students through more meaningful involvement in matters affecting education, welfare and campus life,” he said in a statement today.

Ahmad Fahmi said the legal changes must be accompanied by efforts to foster a campus culture that encourages students to think, exchange views, engage in organisations and contribute to society.

He also called for the principles of academic freedom and students’ rights to be given due consideration across the education system, including in reviewing the suitability of amendments to the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996 (Act 555) and the Universiti Teknologi MARA Act 1976 (Act 173).

Therefore, he said the development of a post-AUKU framework must involve comprehensive engagement with students, academics, university administrators and relevant stakeholders.

“For Abim, freedom must go hand in hand with good manners, integrity in the pursuit of knowledge and mas’uliyyah (responsibility). The challenge after AUKU is not only to provide greater space for students, but to nurture a generation that can fill it with knowledge, intellectual courage, maturity and responsibility.

“The repeal of AUKU should mark the beginning, not the end, of higher education reform,” he said.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said earlier today that the government would repeal AUKU to provide greater freedom and democratic space for the student movement in the country, with the proposal to be tabled before the Cabinet next Wednesday. — Bernama