Xiamen University Malaysia president Professor Wang Ruifang.-Bernama

SEPANG: Malaysia remains an attractive destination for higher education, underpinned by its use of English as the medium of instruction, its strong legal framework, social stability and inclusiveness, as well as its strategic location in the heart of South-East Asia.

Xiamen University Malaysia president Professor Wang Ruifang said Malaysia is highly suitable for establishing higher education institutions.

“The arrival of Xiamen University to Malaysia is supported by many favourable circumstances. We benefited from Malaysia’s geography, situated at the core of the Asean region.

“Due to its historical and cultural background, Malaysia has broad connections with over 50 Commonwealth countries. These links are not only cultural but also economic,” he told the media at Xiamen University Malaysia here.

Wang added that Malaysia’s large Muslim population also provides a significant geographical advantage for offering higher education.

“We can recruit students from countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), many of which have predominantly Muslim populations, making this a very attractive aspect for our educational endeavours,” he said.

Xiamen University established its Malaysian branch campus in 2013 at the invitation of the government.

The purpose-built campus spans 150 acres, with a total investment of about RM1.3bil, and currently enrolls over 9,100 students.

The university expects to increase its enrollment to 10,000 students by the end of the year.

Xiamen University Malaysia houses 10 faculties, offering multidisciplinary and multi-level education.

At present, it offers 25 undergraduate programmes, 13 master’s programmes, seven doctoral programmes and three foundation programmes.

Wang said all the programmes offered by the university have stable and strong demand among students.

However, due to differences in student demographics, varying patterns in course preferences have been observed.

For example, Malaysian students tend to be more interested in programmes like Traditional Chinese Medicine, which receives a high number of applications.

“Business-related programmes like International Business and eCommerce are very well-suited to local needs. Since China is quite advanced in these areas, students are particularly keen to study them.

“Among Indonesian students, due to their stage of economic development, many are interested in programmes like Advertising. So again, we see different interests.

“For students from Central Asian countries, many are drawn to programmes related to information technology,” he said.

Wang pointed out that the appeal of Xiamen University Malaysia lies in the fact that students receive an English-medium education, while benefiting from the backing of Xiamen University in China.

This connection enhances their employability in China and provides opportunities to participate in student exchange programmes or pursue studies at the main campus in China.

“Although the medium of instruction here is English, we incorporate more prominent elements of Chinese culture and education than many other institutions.

“Many of our core courses are brought from our main campus in China. The design of some of our courses reflects the characteristics of Chinese higher education,” he said.

“For international students from countries other than China and Malaysia, if they want to pursue specialised studies at a university in China, there is usually a high requirement for Chinese language proficiency.

“But here, they can use the English language they are more familiar with to learn their major, while also gaining insights into the many aspects of China,” he said.

Looking ahead, Wang highlighted two key priorities for the university’s future: the first is placing a stronger focus on scientific research and postgraduate education.

“So far, our research work has been progressing smoothly. Many outstanding undergraduates have participated in research work, collaborated with their faculties to publish papers and solved problems for enterprises.

“Next, we hope to recruit more postgraduate students, including master’s and doctoral candidates, and turn Xiamen University Malaysia into a significant academic and research centre in Malaysia,” he said.

Additionally, the university plans to further expand its international student body, which currently consists of local Malaysians, students from China, and students from countries participating in the BRI.

“At present, the third group accounts for about 1,700 students. We hope that through efforts over the next two to three years, we can increase this number to 3,000.

“We hope to achieve this through collective efforts from all sides. If we succeed, our multicultural campus will become more balanced in terms of student representation and better equipped to promote cultural diversity and inclusivity.

“Therefore, in two to three years, we envision a more diverse and harmonious campus environment,” Wang said.