Entrepreneurial Studies For Malaysian Students In Egypt

CAIRO, Nov 30 (Bernama) — Malaysian students in Egypt will have the opportunity to take up part-time studies for a diploma in entrepreneurship soon, which programme is aimed at producing credible entrepreneurs.

Malaysian Ambassador to Egypt, Datuk Zainal Abidin Ab Kadir, said the Malaysian Embassy, with the cooperation of government agencies in Egypt and higher institutions of learning in Malaysia, was preparing the programme to be offered to Malaysian students taking up religious and medical studies in Egypt.

“It is now in the final stage with the contents of the diploma-level curriculum, which meets the needs and interests of Malaysian students in Egypt, completed and only waiting for financial allocation to be implemented,” he said at the launch of an entrepreneurship programme organised by the Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Ministry and Higher Education Ministry here Sunday.

The programme, themed “Returning the Glory of Islamic Entrepreneurship” and involved the participation of 17 Malaysian entrepreneurs and relevant agencies, including Mara, was launched by Deputy Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

In a working paper entitled “Entrepreneurship from Islamic Perspective”, Zainal Abidin said that the Malaysian Students Department at the Malaysian Embassy in Cairo and the Malaysian Studies Department of Universiti Malaya at the Cairo University offered free courses in economic management, entrepreneurship, accounts management and research for students.

He said more than 6,000 Malaysian students pursuing religious, Arabic language and medical studies at the Al-Azhar University and several other medical students at other universities in Egypt did not have the opportunity to learn more about business techniques and on entrepreneurship due to their fields of study.

“The fact is, although Islamic system of economy and entrepreneurship existed, they are not promoted as a field of study here.

“To most of the students, it is as if entrepreneurship does not concern them at all although in Islamic history there is a long list of great entrepreneurs with religious background,” he added.

Zainal Abidin said it was time for Malays who were educated in the Middle East to venture and compete with other races in the entrepreneurial sector.

“They have to prove that their economic success is not because of the Malay supremacy umbrella but are earned through their own sweat and hardwork.

“The special privileges for the Malays will not bring anything special if the Malays do not act positively and aggressively,” he added.

However, he said, more Malaysian students in Egypt were keen to venture into the entrepreneurial sector by engaging into small businesses, while the bolder and aggressive ones had set up cafeteria, car rental service and became tour agents.

– BERNAMA