By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 17: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government will repeal the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (Auku), following continued calls from students for greater freedom.
In a news report from Malay Mail on Aug 15, Anwar said the decision was made after several amendments to the Act failed to address all concerns raised by university students.
“University students feel that they should be free. We have given them greater freedom through amendments to the Auku (previously), but there are still some who are dissatisfied, and they have submitted a memorandum.
“So today, I want to announce that we will repeal the Act,” he said at the 2026 PKR National Congress at the Melaka International Trade Centre.
Meanwhile, in a report from The Star, Anwar said that there will be no new laws to replace Auku.
Following the announcement, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said a more comprehensive framework has been identified to replace the law.
Zambry had said the ministry had already considered renewing the country’s higher education legislative framework by drafting a new Act to replace Auku.
Enacted in 1971, Auku serves as the legal framework governing the administration and management of Malaysia’s public universities.
Auku has been amended several times, including in 2012, which allowed students to participate in political party activities outside campus.
The latest amendments, which were passed in 2024, included changes to student disciplinary procedures and financial management, including allowing student representative councils and student bodies to collect money and receive contributions subject to prevailing laws and regulations.
In 2023, Anwar was reported to have said that sections of Auku which restricted the freedom of students and academics would be repealed, while the Higher Education Ministry said at the time that it intended to retain the Act but amend it to give students greater freedom in political activities.
The 2024 amendments also transferred disciplinary authority over public university students from vice-chancellors to Student Disciplinary Committees through changes to Section 16B.
Section 15A was also amended to allow student representative councils and student organisations to raise funds and receive contributions, subject to existing written laws and regulations.
Student groups have long called for the Act to be repealed, particularly provisions they argue restrict student participation in politics and public affairs.
However, the government’s 2024 amendments stopped short of repealing the Act, instead focusing on strengthening university governance and revising provisions governing student activities and disciplinary procedures while retaining the Auku as the overarching legal framework. — DayakDaily
