EDUCATION Minister Maszlee Malik looks set to stay on as International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) president as student activists protesting his appointment are instead focusing on education reforms.

Maszlee said disagreement over his appointment as IIUM president was an “old story” and that there were more pressing issues to deal with.

“Let’s look at the future, not discuss old stories. The students also didn’t raise the matter with me again. 

“Now, they are supporting my efforts on other reforms. The students are with me,” he said after an event to hand over appointment letters to new members of the National Education Advisory Council in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said the students from activist group Gabungan Pembebasan Akademik IPT (GPAIPT), which had protested his appointment as IIUM president, were now supporting his efforts to amend the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA).

Maszlee has agreed to include student representatives in a ministry committee studying amendments to the act and to acknowledge GPAIPT as a election monitor in campus polls.

The minister has also agreed to table several bills in Parliament at the next sitting to ensure greater freedom for students under the act.

However, GPAIPT president Asheeq Ali told The Malaysian Insight that the student activist group was still against Maszlee’s appointment as IIUM president and wanted him to relinquish the post.

They would, however, continue to work with the ministry to push reforms for universities and students.

“We told the minister at a meeting yesterday that we still opposed his appointment but as our meeting was to deal with other matters, we did not discuss the issue,” Asheeq said. – October 2, 2018.