PENANG, 22 October 2016 - The Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Professor Datuk Dr. Asma Ismail described the budget presented by the Prime Minister as accommodating for higher education.

"The budget is reflective of the government's concern and confidence in the local higher education sector and how it could soar upwards to even higher levels globally in the move to drive excellence," said Asma.

She emphasised that with this confidence, USM is aiming for higher commitments and perseverance in its efforts to establish cooperation and collaborations with various partners, leading to greater impacts achieved through the strengthening of ties between the government-university-industries-communities (quadruple helix) and humanity.

"We still have a long way to go and we need to remain steadfast in our efforts to ensure that the people would be offered the best in education," added Asma.

Translation: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin