KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today gave out appointment letters to 31 chief executive officers and presidents joining the CEO Faculty Programme 2016, increasing the number of the senior corporate figures in the scheme to 47.

The latest batch of “educators” included more than 10 senior civil servants.

“This is a good effort by the Higher Education Ministry and I hope we will be able to increase the number of CEOs next year to a much bigger number,” Ahmad Zahid said in his keynote speech.

The programme, initiated last year, ropes in industry experts to share insights for between 20 and 30 hours of lecture a year to students studying in their respective fields.

AirAsia Bhd group chief executive Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and Chief Secretary Tan Sri Ali Hamsa are among those serving as educators in the programme.

“I hope these CEO’s will help commercialise the efforts and new findings, should there be any, from our local universities so the world knows what we are capable of,” Ahmad Zahid said.

At the event, he also launched Malaysia Academia Industry Network (My Ain), CEO Faculty Programme portals and the mobile application.

The My Ain portal was developed to act as a platform to connect industry experts and universities. It contains activities pertained to any collaboration works between the two.

The CEO Faculty Programme portal and mobile application, meanwhile, contain programme schedules and other information for students and industrialists to access.