TEHRAN –The first joint winter school run by Iranian and Malaysian academics commenced in the city of Isfahan on Tuesday and will run until March 12.

The Iran-Malaysia winter school was launched following a visit last year by a high-ranking Malaysian delegation to Isfahan and the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the top universities of the two countries.

The higher education minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, heading a delegation of presidents of a number of universities traveled to Isfahan in October 2023.

A total of 27 professors and students from different Malaysian universities are participating in this scientific and cultural event which started today and will go on for two weeks, IRNA quoted Mohammad Amiryousefi, an associate professor of the University of Isfahan, as saying.

The first two weeks of the school will be held at the University of Isfahan and the Islamic Azad University respectively, he added.

“As agreed, a group of Iranian students and professors will also participate in the joint school in Malaysia next year,” he went on to say.

“The most important goals of the scientific and cultural event are the expansion of scientific diplomacy, enhancing communications and scientific synergy of the two countries to solve the problems of society and industry and also to attract foreign students,” Amiryousefi further noted.

The two-week event includes scientific lectures in various fields such as political science and law; introducing the city of Isfahan; cultural, industrial, and technological tourism; and visiting different sections of the University of Isfahan and the city’s scientific and research estate.

D-8 to boost ties with Malaysian universities

In October 2023, the D-8 International University signed a memorandum of understanding and a memorandum of cooperation with five Malaysian universities.

D-8, also known as Developing-8, is an organization for development cooperation among eight Islamic nations, namely Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.

The agreements were signed in the city of Hamedan on Sunday with the Malaysian universities of UM, UPM, UKM, UiTM, and UMPSA.

The organization aims to create new opportunities in trade relations, enhance participation in decision-making at the international level, and improve standards of living in the member states.

Attracting intl. students

Iran is among the 15 successful countries in attracting international students, according to Mohammad Javad Salmanpour, the deputy head of the Organization for Student Affairs.

“We have the ability and capacity to have more than 250,000 foreign students by 2026,” he stated.

Currently, nearly 100,000 foreign nationals are studying in Iran, more than 90 percent of whom are from Iraq and Afghanistan and the rest are from other countries.

These students are studying in different fields of science, research and technology, health and medical education, and also in the fields of humanities, Islamic sciences, Persian language and literature, law, fundamentals of Islamic law, management fields, economics, psychology, social sciences, as well as engineering, agricultural sciences, animal sciences, and basic sciences.

In September 2023, Hashem Dadashpour, the head of the Organization of Student Affairs, said that the Ministry of Science is planning to increase the number of international students to some 320,000 from currently around 100,000 by 2026.

MT/MG