Less than 0.1 pct international students involved in crime in M'sia - Idris Jusoh

Only 0.075 per cent of 113,752 international students are known to be involved in crime in Malaysia, says Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh.

He said this was because the arrival of foreign students is monitored effectively through the Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) student identity card system since July.

Idris said the establishment of EMGS in 2013 had reduced cases of international student visa abuse in the country besides assisting to raise the number of international students coming into the country.

"Many are of the perception that each crime committed by a foreigner involved international students. Maybe such students entered Malaysia before the introduction of the EMGS student card.

"Since screening by EMGS began, the ministry's statistics showed only 0.075 per cent of the students were involved in crime," he told a media conference at his office here.

Idris said the effort involved the cooperation of the Higher Education Ministry, Home Ministry, Immigration Department, EMGS and other enforcement agencies.

Elaborating further, he said the ministry does not have any control on the entry of foreign students to Malaysia for three-month courses at language centres earlier.

"Without control, many stayed longer than the stipulated period. When we introduced the EMGS student card, details on student, their field of study and which university could be monitored," he said.

In this regard, Idris said the ministry was also going to the ground and making spot checks at private and public institutions of higher learning to ensure the international student passes were not abused.

Without naming the institutions involved, he said the ministry had suspended the enrolment of foreign students at four private institutions for violating conditions set by EMGS.