- 11/20/2006 11:12:30 AM

- The Star -

MONASH University Malaysia will double the number of Islamic Banking scholarships awarded to postgraduate students this year.

The university¡¯s director for banking and finance Prof Bala Shanmugam said another four full scholarships will be given out to postgraduate students from the revenue generated from the fourth Islamic Banking and Finance Conference held recently. 

The university gave out four scholarships last year. These scholarships cover the tuition fees and provide living allowances for the students.

 
MUSA members (from left) Shirley, Dimuthu, Gerel and Eric posing for a group photo with Najib (second from right) at the National Students Consultation Council meeting.

¡°The eight scholarships are worth a total an investment of more than RM400,000.

¡°They will be used to support ongoing research activities related to Islamic Banking at the university campus in Kuala Lumpur,¡± said Prof Bala at the conference launch. 

The activities in Kuala Lumpur will also drive the development of Islamic Banking and Finance courses at Monash¡¯s seven other campuses in Australia and South Africa.

¡°With the expertise that we have at Monash Malaysia, and our position as an international university with campuses in three continents, we are in a unique position to support the growth of Islamic Banking and Finance,¡± said Prof Bala.

More than 200 participants attended the conference, which featured speakers from Malaysia, Australia, Japan, Qatar and Brunei.

The objective was to further knowledge and research as well as theory and practice in the field of Islamic Banking and Finance.

The event was organised by Monash University Malaysia, together with Institut Bank Bank Malaysia. The main sponsor was RHB Islamic Bank Berhad, while co-sponsors were the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF), CIMA, CPA Australia and Microlink Solutions Bhd. For more information on the scholarships, call 03- 5636 0600.

At the National Students¡¯ Consultation Council meeting held recently, the Monash University Student Association (MUSA) said that regulatory hurdles that create hassles for foreign students interested in studying in Malaysia should be done away with.
This was the message sent out by MUSA to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to help the country attain its ambition of becoming a regional education hub.

MUSA's presentation entitled Suggestions to Improve the Welfare of International Students was one of six presented during the event. 

Other issues highlighted included restrictive rules on part-time work, a lack of recognition of the international student card among government agencies, and slow government approval of courses as well as late approval of student pass applications. MUSA also highlighted the shortage of immigration officers fluent in English. 

Present at the event were Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed and senior government officials.

The team from MUSA, comprising president Eric Teng Chang Jin, vice-president Shirley Khor Siew Hooi, general secretary Gerel Tan Ching Fun and international students¡¯ representative Dimuthu Sachiko de Silva, pointed out that improvement of these issues would ensure that international students have a good stay in Malaysia. This would help to promote Malaysia as the preferred education destination in the region. 

The Star News 2006-11-19