The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) said the Dewan Rakyat unanimously approved the bill after the second and third reading by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.
It said the bill would make the student empowerment agenda successful, marking a historic moment as the Universities and University Colleges Act (AUKU) is once again amended to elevate the dignity of public university students.
"The amendment is the result of a series of engagements carried out by the MOHE with the student leaders since 2021 until now.
"It is one of the progressive measures implemented by the government to reform the organisational culture and refresh the student movement in accordance with their ability to manage self-maturity," it said in a statement today.
The Universities and University Colleges (Amendment) Bill 2023 involves amendments to six provisions in the act to improve governance, covering management of activities to student discipline.
The amended Section 15A allows student representative councils and student bodies to collect funds and receive contributions in any manner, subject to prevailing written regulations and laws.
Section 16B transfers disciplinary authority from the vice-chancellor to the student disciplinary committee to reflect the current practice in public universities.
-- BERNAMA
