The Public Service Department (PSD) has stopped providing study loans to students who are intending to or are studying in Russia and Ukraine, said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today.

According to Bernama , he said the move followed a review by the PSD on sending students to Russia following reports of security concerns for students in the two countries at the end of last year.

In a written reply to M Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat) at the Dewan Rakyat, the premier said the PSD had given scholarships to 282 students to pursue their education in Russia, of whom 214 are Bumiputeras and 68 non-Bumiputeras.

Kulasegaran had asked the premier on the PSD's new policy in awarding study loans to Malaysian students going for tertiary education in Russia and Ukraine, the total amount of scholarships disbursed to students in the two countries and the racial breakdown of scholarship recipients over the past five years.

Abdullah said the PSD started giving scholarships for students studying medicine in Russia only in 2002 and added that no scholarships have been approved for those studying in Ukraine.

Courses by foreign universities

Meanwhile, replying to Loh Seng Kok (BN-Kelana Jaya), Abdullah said to date the government had recognised 28,251 courses offered by foreign universities.

They are in Arts and Social Science (11,960), Science (9,706), Technical and Engineering (6,049), Medicine (288), Pharmacy (70), Dentistry (138) and Para-Medicine (40).

The premier said in principle, the government granted recognition to qualifications so that the graduates could serve in the civil service.

He said the qualifications would be evaluated first in terms of suitability and requirements in the civil service.

He said the government would grant recognition through the Permanent Committee on Evaluation and Recognition chaired by the Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Shafie Mohamed Salleh.

Recognition would be granted only to qualifications conducted full-time at the university campus, he said.

"For study programmes conducted in Malaysia in collaboration with local private universities, the qualifications will be considered for recognition only after receiving the recommendation for accreditation from the National Accreditation Board (LAN)," he added.

The premier said LAN was only responsible to recommend for accreditation for courses from foreign universities conducted in local private institutions of higher learning either through twinning programme, validation or distance learning.