Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito has expressed the desire for enhanced cooperation between the PERMATApintar National Gifted Centre of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and schools for highly skilled students in Japan, said Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

The Permata Negara Programme Patron said Prince Naruhito conveyed this desire for cooperation to her when he visited the PERMATApintar Centre at UKM here today.

Speaking to reporters after the visit of the Crown Prince, Rosmah said the enhanced cooperation would include increasing the number of students involved in the student-exchange programme.

"This year, it is anticipated that 100 students from Japan will come to the PERMATApintar Centre and 10 Malaysian students will be sent to Japan," said Rosmah, who is the wife of the Prime Minister.

She said exchange of students between PERMATApintar Negara and selected schools in Japan began in 2015 when 50 Japanese students came to Malaysia and seven Malaysian students went to Japan.

Rosmah said Japan did not face financial constraints in sending many students to Malaysia.

Asked about Crown Prince Naruhito's visit to the PERMATApintar Centre, Rosmah said he appreciated the visit.

"Prince Naruhito said he was impressed with the PERMATApintar programme when he learned that students of the programme had entered universities abroad at the age of 14," she said.

Prince Naruhito was greeted by Rosmah upon his arrival at the PERMATApintar Centre. Rosmah accompanied Prince Naruhito to a briefing on the PERMATA programme.

UKM Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and International Affairs) Prof Datuk Dr Riza Atiq Abdullah O.K. Rahmat, in his briefing, said he hoped that the visit of Crown Prince Naruhito would open windows of opportunity for PERMATApintar to work with Japan.

"I am sure that we can learn from each other and this learning will benefit gifted and talented students from both countries," he said.

Riza Atiq Abdullah said PERMATApintar had worked with gifted students from Saudi Arabia, India, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Mozambique, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam and Mexico during summer programmes.

PERMATApintar, launched in 2009, was the only gifted education programme for Malaysian gifted and talented children, he said.

He said PERMATA aimed to develop students who were competent to take on the challenges of the 21st century.

After the briefing, the Crown Prince of Japan visited booths displaying PERMATApintar students' exhibits and watched demonstrations and performances. -- Bernama