Cómo las becas de estudios internacionales afectan la plantilla

KUALA LUMPUR, 4 AUGUST 2026 —

Malaysian universities lost RM120 million last year to staff who left for overseas universities on fully-funded scholarships, according to the Malaysian Higher Education Statistics Report 2023.

The withdrawal of experienced academics has created immediate hiring gaps that universities are struggling to fill, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir.

“Departments that lose a senior lecturer must reopen recruitment and often pay a premium to replace them,” he told reporters. Staff who remain cite lower morale and heavier workloads.

A vice-chancellor at a research university said the exodus has forced a rethink of local hiring budgets. “Every ringgit spent on scholarships abroad is one less ringgit for local recruitment,” the official said. The university’s academic headcount fell 4% in the first half of 2024 compared with the same period in 2023.

Industry analysts say the gap widens when departing scholars take up posts in Australia, the UK or North America. “Salaries in those markets outpace Malaysian offers by 30–50%,” said an economist at Maybank Investment Banking Group. The scale of the shortfall has not yet been quantified, according to the source.

Universities are now drafting contingency plans, including targeted retention bonuses and partnerships with foreign institutions that guarantee return clauses. “We want the experience, not the person,” said the vice-chancellor.

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