By Danial Dzulkifly
KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 — A bill to amend several provisions within the Universities and University Colleges Act (Auku) 1971 was passed via a simple voice vote in the Dewan Rakyat today.
The bill, which concerns four key amendments aimed at granting students more autonomy to manage their student bodies, unions or associations’ activities as well as finances, was tabled for the second reading in the lower House earlier by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir.
Over 20 MPs participated in the debate at the policy stage, most of whom expressed agreement that more autonomy should be given to students to manage their organisations without significant intervention from university management.
In his winding-up speech ahead of voting, Zambry explained that the Unity Government had considered abolishing Auku, although they later opted to amend the act to ensure smooth governance of tertiary education while they continue to explore better alternatives.
“In recent discussions, the same issues have been raised and we have considered two options. The first is to abolish Auku altogether and replace it with a new National Higher Education Act.
“The second option is to keep Auku but only amend certain sections, especially those concerning the penalisation of students and others.
“But as I mentioned at the outset, the process of amending Auku has gone through various phases since 2012, and the latest today sees these changes made. So, we will examine the act further from various aspects, while also considering other options available to us,” he said.
Zambry then went on to thank all MPs who participated in the debate for sharing their views and providing feedback.
The bill seeks to amend, among other things, Section 15A of Auku, to enable student representative councils and bodies to collect funds and receive contributions within existing regulations. Individual students, however, remain restricted from fundraising unless acting on behalf of these councils.
The amendment to Section 16B intends to transfer disciplinary authority from vice-chancellors to student disciplinary committees, aligning with current practices in public universities.
Amendment to Section 48 (4) seeks to extend the term of office for student council members from one year to one academic year, with provisions for extension during extraordinary circumstances like the Covid-19 pandemic.
Finally, the proposed change to Section 48 (11) aims to allow student representative councils to establish and manage funds, including opening accounts with legitimate financial institutions, enhancing student empowerment while maintaining financial procedures set by universities.
The bill will now have to be passed in the Dewan Negara and receive approval from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong before it can be gazetted.
