Malaysian Government Signs Partnership Agreement with Irish Universities to Promote Study of Medicine in Ireland by Malaysian Students

Posted on: 28 July 2011

The Malaysian government signed a strategic partnership with four Irish universities’ schools of medicine in relation to the continued promotion of the study of medicine by Malaysian students in Ireland.

The Memorandum of Understanding in higher education was signed by Datuk Ibrahim Bin Ahmad, the Director General of MARA, an agency of the Malaysian Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, and representatives from each of the four schools of medicine in UCC, NUI Galway, UCD and TCD, member institutions of the Irish Universities and Medical Schools Consortium (IUMC), at Trinity College Dublin on July 28th last. The signing was witnessed by the Malaysian Minister of Rural and Regional Development, His Respectable Dato’ Seri Hj. Mohd Shafie Bin Haji Apdal.

Welcoming the new partnership with the Malaysian government, the IUMC Chairperson, Professor Shorten said: “The IUMC warmly welcomes this agreement which will serve to strengthen the close and very successful relationships which currently exist between our constituent universities, the Malaysian government and the Malaysian government agency, Majlis Amanah Rakyat.”

L-R: Professor Martin Cormican NUIG; Datuk Ibrahim Bin Ahmad, the Director General of MARA, an agency of the Malaysian Ministry of Rural and Regional Development Malaysian Minister of Rural and Regional Development Malaysian Minister of Rural and Regional Development; His Respectable Y.B Dato’ Seri Hj. Mohd Shafie Bin Haji Apdal; Professor George Shorten, Chair IUMC; Professor Dermot Kelleher, TCD;  Professor Patrick Murphy, UCD.

As part of the agreement promoting the study of medicine in Ireland by Malaysian students, 60 places will be allocated across the four Irish schools of medicine for Malaysian students from the prestigious pre-university schools, Kolej Mara Banting. The places will be allocated for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 and the Malaysian students will gain entry, subject to meeting the required entry requirements by Irish universities.

Commenting on the significance of the agreement for Malaysia, the Malaysian Minister of Rural and Regional Development said: “We are happy that IUMC has shown confidence in the ability of our students by allocating a certain number of seats in their medical schools.  This would certainly assist MARA, and the Malaysian Government, in developing a community of highly skilled professional medical care-givers.  We look forward to expand our future collaboration with IUMC, in particular at the post-graduate level.”