KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Several private higher education institutions have applied to the Higher Education Ministry to offer twinning courses with Chinese universities.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Dr Hou Kok Chung said the institutions wanted to offer traditional Chinese medicine courses.

He was asked to comment on Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai, who in his trip to China said that Malaysia recognised traditional medicine degrees from the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine.

Liow added that two more universities to be recognised were the Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine.

He said graduates from these universities need not sit for any local examination before working at government hospitals.

On New Era College, Dr Hou said the ministry would let it solve its internal problems.

It was reported that there was a leadership tussle as five department heads had resigned.

Their move was in support of college principal Dr Kua Kia Soong, whose contract, which expires this year, was not extended.