Bangladesh and Malaysia today (on Friday) agreed to strengthen cooperation in higher education, scholarships and skills development, with Dhaka seeking expanded opportunities for students and enhanced workforce mobility.

Prime Minister's Adviser on Education, Labour and Employment Mahdi Amin held a bilateral meeting with Malaysia's Minister of Higher Education Zambry Abdul Kadir in Putrajaya to discuss enhanced collaboration in education, research and skills development, said a press release issued by the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.

Bangladesh's Minister for Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Ariful Haque Chowdhury was also present at the meeting, it added.

At the outset, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to advancing bilateral relations in education and skills development, with Malaysia recognising the mandate of the elected government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and expressing readiness to deepen institutional engagement.

Mahdi Amin highlighted Bangladesh's priority to enhance global competitiveness through expanded international education pathways and called for increased scholarship opportunities for Bangladeshi students in Malaysia.

He emphasised the need for structured scholarship frameworks to ensure academic excellence as well as the welfare, safety and social integration of Bangladeshi students.

The adviser also underscored strengthening university-to-university partnerships, expanding academic exchanges and developing joint programmes with transparent and sustainable mechanisms.

Malaysian minister Zambry Abdul Kadir welcomed the proposals and expressed readiness to consider expanding scholarship allocations under existing and future programmes.

The Malaysian side also shared insights into its higher education system, noting that more than 11,000 Bangladeshi students are currently studying in Malaysia, many in private institutions.

Both sides acknowledged the positive contributions of these students in fostering academic exchange and socio-economic ties between the two countries.

They also discussed expanding mutually recognised qualifications, joint degree programmes, distance education and flexible learning pathways aligned with labour market needs.

The issue of graduate mobility and skills development also featured prominently, with Bangladesh emphasising the need for greater professional exposure and opportunities for its students and graduates in Malaysia.

The Malaysian side expressed willingness to explore supportive frameworks in line with its international education policies.

Both sides agreed to further strengthen scholarship frameworks, enhance student support mechanisms and deepen long-term educational and people-to-people ties to build a sustainable knowledge-based partnership.