KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the government is targeting to provide residential college facilities for at least 70 per cent of full-time undergraduate students at public universities and polytechnics nationwide by 2035, as part of efforts to address the student accommodation shortage.
He said the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) developed the Residential College Facilities Policy for Public Higher Education Institutions (IPTA) in November 2024 through cooperation with the Malaysian Universities Housing Council and engagement sessions with student leaders.
“The policy aims to ensure that residential college facilities are provided for at least 70 per cent of the total full-time undergraduate student enrolment through physical accommodation by 2035 across all public universities and polytechnics nationwide.
“Moving forward, to meet students’ accommodation needs, more student residential colleges will be developed as part of MOHE’s long-term plan to ensure their comfort and welfare, particularly for students from the B40 income group,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Zambry was responding to Hulu Langat MP Mohd Sany Hamzan, who asked about the government’s concrete measures to address the shortage of residential colleges, which had forced many students to rent accommodation off campus at high costs.
He said during the 12th Malaysia Plan (RMK12) period from 2021 to 2025 and the First Rolling Plan of the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13), MOHE received nearly RM1.1 billion in allocations for replacing, upgrading, and rehabilitating ageing infrastructure and equipment at public higher education institutions.
He said the allocation was also used for improvement works, conservation, refurbishment and upgrading of facilities at public universities.
Zambry also said nearly RM225 million from development allocations was used to upgrade and repair existing hostels during the RMK12 and First Rolling Plan of RMK13 periods.
Meanwhile, he said 36 student residential projects at public universities were implemented through public-private partnerships (PPP) during the same period.
Of these, 15 projects have been completed, providing accommodation capacity for up to 45,000 students.
“Under the RMK13, the government intends to build five new residential colleges at public universities, expected to accommodate up to 21,000 students through the PPP model,” he said.
In response to Kapar MP Dr Halimah Ali’s supplementary question on whether the planned 21,000 accommodation places were additional capacity or part of existing facilities, Zambry confirmed that the figure represented new capacity.
Zambry said the government recognised the continued need to expand accommodation capacity, noting that university students typically spend around four years completing their studies.
He also said priority for student accommodation placement is given to vulnerable groups, including students from the B40 income group, Orang Asli students, students with disabilities (OKU), those actively involved in student associations, participants of the Palapes reserve officer training programme, students involved in uniformed and leadership activities, as well as those from the asnaf category and low-income families.
“For students who live outside campus, each university adopts different approaches based on their own circumstances. For example, if students stay outside campus, universities will consider what transportation facilities can be provided to help them travel between their accommodation and campus.
“All of these measures involve costs, and they form part of the efforts undertaken by universities to safeguard students’ welfare,” he added.
He then addressed concerns raised by Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor over access to higher education for Orang Asli students, with the government having introduced a special admission pathway to prioritise their entry into higher education institutions.
