By Vinoothene Chandrasekaran
Pix Shahiddan Saidi

BANGI, 9 May 2016 – Timor-Leste, or  East Timor, plans to send some of the emerging island nation’s students to Malaysia, quite possibly to The National University of Malaysia (UKM) to take up Masters and PHD programmes.

Timor-Leste Vice Minister of Education Dr. Abel Da Costa Freitas Ximenes said his country is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UKM within this year to strengthen tertiary education ties.

“The reason we are here is to  first to learn and know more about UKM, and together in the process we build a relationship,” said Dr Ximenes in his public lecture titled Higher Education in Timor Leste: The Way Forward,  here recently.

He expressed hope that UKM and the Malaysian government will help his country face the education challenges in East Timor.

Earlier, in his welcoming remarks UKM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Industry and Community Partnership) Professor Dato’ Dr. Imran Ho Abdullah said the Faculty of Information Science and Technology (FTSM), which organised the lecture, is drawing up an Education Development  Action Plan to lend a helping hand.

He explained that Assoc Prof Dr Nor Azan Mat Zin from FTSM has been entrusted with the task to lead the project in Timor-Leste which also involves several other nations.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor said the collaboration, known as  MyCommunity, will see UKM share information technology expertise in Timor-Leste.