29 March 2017 at 9:00 am

New Zealand universities launch foundation programme with Malaysian college

New Zealand universities have partnered with Malaysia’s KYS International College (KYSIC) to launch a new foundation programme, allowing students to be awarded both a Foundation Certificate from KYSIC and an undergraduate degree from a New Zealand university.

Malaysian foundaiton course
Front row (L-R): YBhg Datuk Kamaruddin Hj. Awang Chief Executive, KYS Business School; Professor Helen Nicholson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Otago; Tan Sri Halim Saad, who has an honorary doctorate from VUW for his major role in fostering relationships between Malaysia and New Zealand; John Subritzky, New Zealand's High Commissioner to Malaysia; Professor Neil Quigley, Vice-Chancellor, University of Waikato; Professor Sonia Mazey, Pro Vice-Chancellor Business and Law, University of Canterbury. Back row (L-R): Frances Little, Director International, Auckland University of Technology; Julia Innocente-Jones, Assistant Vice-Chancellor, Victoria University of Wellington; Susan Laurenson, Associate Dean Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Auckland; and John Laxon, Education New Zealand’s Regional Director of South, South East Asia & the Middle East.

Students enrolled in the new FCertNZ Foundation Programme will first undergo a one-year foundation course at KYSIC’s KYS Business School (KYSB) in Melaka before progressing to a three-year (or more) undergraduate degree in New Zealand. The foundation programme offers a variety of courses in humanities, commerce, sciences, engineering and health sciences.

The programme builds on an agreement signed in 2015 between KYSIC and the University of Otago, Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Waikato.

Datuk Kamaruddin, Chief Executive of KYSB and alumnus of Victoria University of Wellington, said the programme aims to create better educational opportunities for Malaysian students.

“KYS has always been at the forefront of quality education in Malaysia and the FCertNZ Foundation Programme kick-starts another chapter in our international education strategy.

“Through this new partnership with the universities in New Zealand, we hope that our students will continue to be exposed to high-quality education and gain valuable international experiences that can eventually help them meet the demands of both the local and global economy’s needs,” he said.

John Laxon, ENZ’s Regional Director for South, South East Asia & the Middle East, said the new foundation programme will provide a seamless pathway for Malaysian students to further their studies in New Zealand.  

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