ADVANCING HIGHER EDUCATION COOPERATION BETWEEN MALAYSIA AND INDIA THROUGH MAHEF 2025–INDIA

ADVANCING HIGHER EDUCATION COOPERATION BETWEEN MALAYSIA AND INDIA THROUGH MAHEF 2025–INDIA.

 

CHENNAI, INDIA – Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS), in collaboration with the Consulate General of Malaysian in Chennai, the Association of India Universities (AIU) and the Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences as the host university, successfully hosted the Malaysia–India Higher Education Forum 2025 (MAHEF2025–India).

 

MAHEF2025–India marked a significant milestone in Malaysia’s higher education engagement and transnational education initiatives, reinforcing long-standing Malaysia–India ties. Carrying the theme “Intensifying Internationalisation in the Context of the Global South Agenda,” the Forum aimed to deepen higher education cooperation between Malaysia and India, expand joint research and innovation initiatives, and promote student, academic, and talent mobility between both countries.

 

MAHEF2025–India brought together higher education leaders, academics, education counsellors, industry representatives and students from both Malaysia and India, reflecting the strong and growing interest in bilateral education collaboration.

 

As we look ahead, we hope Malaysia and India will further strengthen this partnership through deeper institutional linkages, expanded scholarship and industry-linked opportunities, and collaborative research in key areas such as artificial intelligence and digital technologies. We also look forward to greater exchanges of academicians

and researchers, fostering continuous knowledge sharing and long-term academic cooperation between our two nations.,” said His Excellency K. Saravana Kumar, the Consulate General of Malaysia to South India.

 

Novie Tajuddin, Chief Executive Officer of EMGS, added, “Malaysian universities are also moving towards stronger collaboration with industry. Indian students should also take advantage of these opportunities such as the Graduate Pass, which is a type of visa for students to stay, work and continue studies in Malaysia”.

The Forum served as a strategic platform for bilateral and multilateral collaboration, focusing on:

· Strengthening Government-to-Government (G2G) and Government-to- Institution cooperation

· Enhancing University-to-University (U2U) partnerships

· Expanding collaboration in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

· Advancing Transnational Education (TNE) initiatives

· Supporting academic exchanges, joint research, and postgraduate collaboration

· Promoting student and talent mobility between Malaysia and India

 

One of the key highlights of MAHEF2025–India was the exchange of Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) between Malaysian and Indian higher education institutions, reinforcing shared aspirations to deepen collaboration in education, research, innovation, and capacity building.

The Forum and education fair directly supported Shift 7: Global Prominence under the Malaysia Education Blueprint (Higher Education), reaffirming Malaysia’s position as a dynamic, competitive, and globally connected education hub.

Held alongside MAHEF2025–India, the MEGA Study in Malaysia Education Fair Chennai 2025 provided Indian students, parents, and counsellors with direct access to Malaysian universities, showcasing a wide range of programmes, scholarships, and pathways, including growing opportunities in Transnational Education (TNE).

 

Malaysia currently hosts over 150,000 international students from more than 180 countries, contributing an estimated RM16 billion annually to the national economy through tuition fees, living expenditure, and long-term talent development. With its globally recognised qualifications, strong quality assurance framework, and multicultural learning environment, Malaysia continues to be a preferred study destination for students from India and across the Global South