Page 57 - EU_ASEN Relations: Perspectives From Malaysia

aims of EU-SHARE programmes and it provides an impetus to the creation of

a common ASEAN higher education space.

Malaysia’s approach to higher education regionalism

In 2015, Malaysia contributed to higher education regionalism by offering the
KL Declaration on Higher Education that was adopted by all ASEAN member

states. By doing so, Malaysia demonstrates that it has taken on a leading role
in the ASEAN higher education landscape through this Declaration. This also

illustrates the implementation of Shift 8 (Global Prominence) under the
Malaysia Education Blueprint (Higher Education) 2015–2025 and Malaysia’s

efforts in developing its higher education system to attract students from within

ASEAN to pursue higher education in Malaysia. A framework and action plan
have also been developed to support this Declaration with the aim of making

Malaysia an education hub in the region. Through this Declaration, Malaysia
indicates its commitment to drive core initiatives in two focus areas, higher

education student and staff mobility, as well as technical and vocational
education and training (TVET).

Where Malaysia-EU project collaborations are concerned, Malaysia is now an
eligible potential partner in the development country list for collaborative

research and EU-ASEAN cooperation e.g., Erasmus+, Marie-Curie actions,

Horizon 2020, etc. A Malaysian university is therefore able to lead projects
funded by Erasmus+ with partners from both EU and Asian universities.

In Malaysia, the Asia-Europe Institute (AEI) at the University of Malaya
serves as a platform for Asia-Europe engagement and acts to enhance ties

between universities from ASEM countries. AEI origins were curated from the
conceptions of tightening higher education linkages between Asia and Europe,

within the provisions of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) initiative in 1996.
By organising conferences, seminars, and an annual summer school on Asia-

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