Academics to get special protected status under proposed UUCA replacement, says Adam Adli

The proposed One Higher Education Act in Malaysia aims to provide greater operational autonomy and safeguard academic freedom for higher education institutions.

This new legislation is set to replace the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 and enhance governance frameworks by empowering institutions in staff management, program offerings, and strategic collaborations.

A core focus of the Act is to protect academic independence by establishing a designated status for academics, ensuring their roles are not confined to traditional employer-employee dynamics.

The government is also reviewing related legislation for alignment under this new framework to address issues of academic expression and governance comprehensively.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — There will be enhanced operational autonomy to higher education institutions under the proposed One Higher Education Act that would include dedicated status to safeguard academic freedom, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim said the new comprehensive legislation, which is set to replace the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA), aims to overhaul the current administrative and academic governance frameworks.

“Under the One Higher Education Act, institutions will be empowered with operational autonomy in key areas, including staff management, course and program offerings, and the establishment of strategic collaborations through a new mechanism designed to meet higher standards of academic freedom,” Adam Adli said during Question Time.

Protecting academic independence remains a core focus of the proposed law, he added.

“To ensure academic freedom, the One Higher Education Act will specifically establish a designated status protecting academics, ensuring their role extends beyond a basic employer-employee relationship,” the deputy minister said.

As part of these reforms, the government had said it is reviewing existing legislation that impacts university operations and academic staff.

Among these is the Statutory Bodies (Discipline and Surcharge) Act, which is currently one of seven acts being studied for potential inclusion or alignment under the proposed One Higher Education Act to address long-standing issues surrounding academic expression and governance.

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马来西亚拟议的《高等教育法》旨在为高等教育机构提供更大的运营自主权，并保障学术自由。

这项新立法旨在取代 1971 年的《大学和大学学院法》，并通过赋予院校在员工管理、课程设置和战略合作方面的权力来加强治理框架。

该法案的核心重点是通过为学者设立指定地位来保护学术独立性，确保他们的角色不局限于传统的雇佣关系。

政府也在审查相关立法，以便与这一新框架保持一致，从而全面解决学术表达和治理问题。

吉隆坡，11月4日讯——今天，国会下议院获悉，根据拟议的《高等教育一体化法案》，高等教育机构将拥有更大的运营自主权，其中包括专门的地位以保障学术自由。

高等教育副部长亚当·阿德利·阿卜杜勒·哈利姆表示，这项新的综合性立法将取代 1971 年的《大学和大学学院法》（UUCA），旨在彻底改革当前的行政和学术治理框架。

“根据《高等教育一体化法案》，各院校将在关键领域获得运营自主权，包括员工管理、课程和项目设置，以及通过旨在满足更高学术自由标准的全新机制建立战略合作，”亚当·阿德利在问答环节中说道。

他补充说，保护学术独立仍然是该法案的核心重点。

副部长表示：“为了确保学术自由，《高等教育统一法案》将专门设立保护学者的指定地位，确保他们的角色超越基本的雇佣关系。”

作为这些改革的一部分，政府曾表示正在审查影响大学运营和教职员工的现有法律。

其中包括《法定机构（纪律和附加费）法案》，该法案目前正在研究是否将其纳入拟议的《高等教育法案》或与之保持一致，以解决长期存在的学术表达和治理问题。

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