Universities aim to boost foreign student numbers with twinning deal

UNIVERSITY College Cork is on the verge of signing a formal agreement with Malaysia to train medical students and it is possible that further initiatives, such as setting up an Irish campus in that country, could follow.

The college authorities said yesterday that a memo of understanding had already been signed between Malaysia, UCC and NUI Galway aimed at providing the service, which could attract up to 120 Malaysian medical students to Cork each year.

A UCC spokesman said that medical students from that country would probably study in Ireland for their first two or three years before returning home to complete their course.

The spokesman was upbeat about the prospects for the future of a so-called twinning programme “in which larger initiatives” could be undertaken. “Everyone is very positive about it,” the spokesman added.

However, the Malaysian government went even further, according to a report in the respected newspaper, the New Straits Times.

It claimed that as a result of such cooperation Malaysia is well on the way to becoming a world-class educational hub.

The newspaper cautioned, however, that new systems were needed to cut red tape so students could access foreign travel visas more easily.

Malaysia’s Higher Education Minister, Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, said he is currently developing the system to set up a one-stop agency for students.

UCC has already enjoyed considerable success in attracting foreign students, especially from Asia. More than a year ago it established an education office in China and a “big push” has been undertaken in that country to attract students to Cork.

Already it has paid off with scores of Chinese students enrolling in the college. The UCC spokesman said that more than 10% of its student population were foreign students, and there was a large proportion of Chinese among them.

They have already set up the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA), which has its own dedicated page on the UCC website.

The CSSA was set up to help Chinese students adjust to a new environment as well as to promote friendship, culture exchange and interactions among all students on campus.