Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS), in collaboration with the Consulate General of Malaysia in Chennai, the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and host institution Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, successfully hosted the Malaysia–India Higher Education Forum 2025 (MAHEF2025–India), marking a significant step forward in bilateral education engagement.
The forum underscored Malaysia’s growing focus on internationalisation and transnational education, while reinforcing the long-standing education and people-to-people ties between Malaysia and India. Held under the theme “Intensifying Internationalisation in the Context of the Global South Agenda,” MAHEF2025–India aimed to deepen cooperation in higher education, expand joint research and innovation initiatives, and promote greater mobility of students, academics and skilled talent between the two countries.
The event brought together higher education leaders, academicians, education counsellors, industry representatives and students from both nations, reflecting strong and growing interest in strengthening Malaysia–India education collaboration.
Addressing the gathering, His Excellency K. Saravana Kumar, Consul General of Malaysia to South India, said the partnership between the two countries was poised to deepen further through stronger institutional linkages, expanded scholarships, industry-linked opportunities and collaborative research in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence and digital technologies. He also emphasised the importance of increasing exchanges of academicians and researchers to foster long-term knowledge sharing and academic cooperation.
EMGS Chief Executive Officer Novie Tajuddin highlighted Malaysia’s increasing emphasis on industry-linked education. “Malaysian universities are moving towards stronger collaboration with industry. Indian students should take advantage of opportunities such as the Graduate Pass, which allows them to stay, work and continue their studies in Malaysia,” she said.
The forum served as a strategic platform for bilateral and multilateral collaboration, with discussions centred on strengthening government-to-government and government-to-institution cooperation, enhancing university-to-university partnerships, expanding collaboration in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), advancing transnational education initiatives, and supporting academic exchanges, joint research and postgraduate collaboration. Promoting student and talent mobility between Malaysia and India was another key focus area.
A major highlight of MAHEF2025–India was the exchange of memoranda of understanding between Malaysian and Indian higher education institutions, reflecting shared aspirations to deepen collaboration in education, research, innovation and capacity building.
The forum directly supported Shift 7: Global Prominence under the Malaysia Education Blueprint (Higher Education), reaffirming Malaysia’s ambition to position itself as a dynamic, competitive and globally connected education hub.
Held alongside the forum, the MEGA Study in Malaysia Education Fair Chennai 2025 offered Indian students, parents and counsellors direct access to Malaysian universities. The fair showcased a wide range of academic programmes, scholarships and study pathways, including expanding opportunities in transnational education.
Malaysia currently hosts more than 150,000 international students from over 180 countries, contributing an estimated RM16 billion annually to the national economy through tuition fees, living expenses and long-term talent development. With globally recognised qualifications, a strong quality assurance framework and a multicultural learning environment, Malaysia continues to emerge as a preferred study destination for students from India and across the Global South.
