Bumiputera education must move beyond quotas towards self-reliance, says Zambry
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir has called for a shift in Bumiputera education policy, moving from quota-based systems to a focus on self-reliance and excellence in STEM fields. He emphasized that future success should be measured by critical thinking and global competitiveness rather than dependency.
Why it matters
This represents a significant policy shift in Malaysian affirmative action, aiming to modernize the education ecosystem for the Malay and Bumiputera communities.
KUALA LUMPUR: The future of education for the Malay and Bumiputera communities must move beyond quotas towards greater self-reliance and resilience.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir ( pic ) said the success of the communities should instead be measured by their ability to excel in critical fields such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), develop new technologies and own intellectual property.
"The measure is not only the number of students entering university, but how many can think critically, master STEM, build global companies and lead world-class institutions," he said when officiating the Malay Education Convention 2026 here on Tuesday (Sept 8).
Zambry said that to achieve this goal, the country's education ecosystem needed to move beyond simply providing access towards improving quality, building competencies, promoting entrepreneurship and advancing from technology use to technology ownership.
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