University Students, Higher Education Institutions Among Key Priorities in Budget 2027 – Anwar

PUTRAJAYA: University students and higher education institutions will be among the key areas of focus in Budget 2027, which is currently being finalised, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.

He said Budget 2027 would cover various sectors and segments of society, including farmers, fishermen, Orang Asli communities, as well as the technology and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors.

“Insya-Allah, university students and universities will certainly be included in the budget. Hopefully, I will be able to deliver what we can within the limitations we face,” he said in his speech at the National Student Icon Awards ceremony here on Thursday.

Also present were Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, his deputy Adam Adli Abd Halim and Higher Education Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Dr Aminuddin Hassim.

Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said preparing Budget 2027 required careful consideration of requests from thousands of associations, hundreds of departments and dozens of ministries.

“All of them are reasonable and rational. From paddy farmers in Kedah and fishermen in Terengganu to the Orang Asli, Iban longhouses in Sarawak, the technology sector and AI — all require attention,” he said.

The Prime Minister said his busy schedule in finalising Budget 2027 had forced him to cancel almost all events scheduled for this week, except for certain events, including the 2026 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix scheduled to be held at the Sepang International Circuit.

“I cancelled all events, but I decided to proceed with tonight’s event. As this is specifically for university students, I felt that I wanted to attend,” he said.

Budget 2027 is scheduled to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 9.

It will be the fifth Madani Budget, aimed at continuing to reap the benefits of the Madani Economy framework in steering Malaysia forward.

As the second budget under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), Budget 2027 will continue to pursue the three pillars of the Madani Economy — raising the ceiling of the country’s growth potential, raising the floor of the people’s quality of life, and driving reforms in national administrative governance.

Bernama