KUALA LUMPUR: Male students make up only 36.4 per cent of new intake at the country’s public universities this year.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said figures showed male students were relatively poor in academics.

The number of male students at public universities has been declining over the last few years.

According to Statista Research Department, the intake of new students at the country’s public universities in 2022 comprised more than 681,000 women and only around 520,000 men or 43.29 per cent of total.

This year, the percentage of new male students declined further to under 40 per cent.

To help students prepare for their future, Zahid, who is also the National TVET Council chairman, said the government offers new type of education – Technical and Vocational and Education and Training (TVET) programme.

TVET is now the basis of a new education ecosystem and because of that, the government is ready to offer training at 1,345 TVET institutions nationwide.

“This is not a gender-based policy but to fulfil the demand in job market,” he told reporters after delivering the keynote address at the International Young Future Leaders Summit (iFuture) 2024 last Saturday.

Zahid also said TVET would be offered to foreign students too, but would be managed by the private sector.