Malaysia announced plans to repeal the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (AUKU/UUCA) and replace it with a unified higher education law covering the entire sector. The move was confirmed by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir on August 22 during an event at Universiti Sains Malaysia, where he described the planned law as a main framework addressing "the entire higher education ecosystem, addressing both present and future needs" [1, 2, 3].
AUKU currently contains 44 sections dealing with university establishment, governance, academic affairs, administration, and students. However, only seven of those sections pertain specifically to students. Dr Zambry noted, "The repeal of the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) 1971 transcends the immediate interests of the student body, and requires a holistic review of the entire higher education legal framework before a replacement is drafted" [1, 3].
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim emphasized the need to remove restrictions on students' freedoms, saying, "We need to examine aspects that have become constraints for students and provide greater freedom and democratic space" [1].
The repeal is part of the Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint (RPTM) 2026-2035 and the "One Higher Education Act" agenda launched in January 2026. Rather than focus solely on student issues, the new law aims to unify regulations for all 20 public universities in Malaysia, which currently operate under various arrangements. Before AUKU, universities had individual legislation, but the growing public university system requires a consolidated legal framework, according to expert commentary [1, 4, 2, 3].
An independent committee will conduct consultations with multiple stakeholders to gather diverse views before finalizing the new law, ensuring it is broad and comprehensive [1, 2, 3].
The higher education minister opened the Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Cancer Centre at Universiti Sains Malaysia on August 22 and highlighted the repeal's broader context during the event. The government previously announced the repeal at the PKR Annual Congress on August 15 [1, 4, 2, 3].
Efforts now focus on completing the review and drafting the new act to serve as a unified legal foundation across universities. No exact date was given for finalizing the law, but the process follows the blueprint scheduled through 2035.
