The Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA; ms, People's Trust Council) is a

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malays ...

n government agency. It was formed to aid, train, and guide

Bumiputra ''Bumiputera'' or ''Bumiputra'' ( Jawi: ) is a term used in Malaysia to describe Malays, the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia, and various indigenous peoples of East Malaysia (see official definition below). The term is sometimes controvers ...

( Malays and other indigenous Malaysians) in the areas of

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." Having a business name does not separa ...

and industry. MARA was formed on March 1, 1966 under the Rural and National Development Ministry.

History and organization

The Rural Industrial Development Authority (RIDA) was established in 1951 by the

British colonial The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, administ ...

as a program to provide economic assistance and support to Malay farmers and rural inhabitants. The organization expanded its scope and the

Parliament of Malaysia The Parliament of Malaysia ( ms, Parlimen Malaysia) is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives, lit. "People's Assembly") and the ...

converted it into the MARA in 1966. Although it is an autonomous government agency, it reports to the Minister of Rural and Regional Development, who appoints all the members of the MARA Council. Besides state-level offices in the 13 states of Malaysia and the federal territory of

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

, MARA operates three overseas offices in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

and

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

Entrepreneurship aid

Among other activities, MARA offers loans to Bumiputera

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...

s. Such loans may be repaid either in the conventional Western manner or via

Islamic banking Islamic banking, Islamic finance ( ar, مصرفية إسلامية), or Sharia-compliant finance is banking or financing activity that complies with Sharia (Islamic law) and its practical application through the development of Islamic economic ...

, better known as the

Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

system. MARA also offers business starter courses, vocational training, consultancy services, and marketing help for

entrepreneurs. Bumiputera entrepreneurs lend MARA infrastructure, such as shop-lots or factories, at a subsidized rate. These facilities are often built in smaller towns or underdeveloped areas to encourage economic development.

Education

MARA operates several

junior college A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...

s or

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

s and the

University of Kuala Lumpur Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) is a multi-campus technical university with its main campus based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Rated as a Tier-5 "Excellent University" by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia in 2009, 2011, 2013 and awarded ...

, a multi-campus technical university. Until 1976,

Universiti Teknologi MARA The MARA Technological University ( Malay: ''Universiti Teknologi MARA''; Jawi: اونيۏرسيتي تيكنولوڬي مارا; abbr. UiTM) is a public university based primarily in Shah Alam, Selangor. It was established to help rural Ma ...

was also operated by MARA, though it has since become its own entity under the

Ministry of Higher Education {{Unreferenced, date=March 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) A Ministry of Higher Education is a government department that focuses on the provision or regulation of institutions of higher education. In some countries these exist as ministries compound ...

. The

junior colleges A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in s ...

, referred to as Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (

MARA Junior Science College The MARA Junior Science College (MJSC) ( ms, Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM)) is a group of boarding schools created by Majlis Amanah Rakyat ( MARA), a Malaysian government agency. The institution provides learning facilities for bright stud ...

s, often abbreviated as MRSMs), are operated by the Education and Training (Secondary) Department of MARA. Their stated mission is to "produce Bumiputra students of potential in science and technology". Until 2005, the MRSMs were only open to Bumiputra students. However, following the

Barisan Nasional The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 se ...

government's pledge during its campaign in the 2004 general election, a quota of 10% of all places in MRSMs was granted to non-Bumiputras. In admissions, preference is given to students from low-income families, rural areas, and/or those living in squatter settlements in the cities. In addition to MRSMs and the UniKL, MARA operates vocational and professional colleges such as Pusat GIAT MARA, Institut Kemahiran MARA (IKM) and Kolej Kemahiran MARA. These vocational colleges provide a second higher education option to students who are unable to continue their studies in universities. Other colleges include Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi MARA, Institut Kemahiran MARA, Kolej Professional MARA, and Kolej MARA. Scholarships are offered to Bumiputra students to attend local and foreign institutions of higher learning. Students are required to specialise in certain professions such as engineering, medicine, or accounting."Bahagian Penganjuran Pelajaran MARA - BPP"
. Retrieved 16 February 2006.

Subsidiaries

*F.I.T Center Sdn. Bhd. (FITEC) *Universiti Teknikal MARA Sdn. Bhd. (

Universiti Kuala Lumpur Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) is a multi-campus technical university with its main campus based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Rated as a Tier-5 "Excellent University" by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia in 2009, 2011, 2013 and awarded ...

- UniKL) *Pelaburan MARA Berhad (PMB) * German-Malaysian Institute (GMI) *Yayasan Pelajaran MARA (YPM) *Pusat Pembangunan Reka Bentuk Sdn. Bhd. (DDEC) *Kolej Poly-Tech MARA Sdn. Bhd. (KPTM) *GIATMARA Sdn. Bhd. (GIATMARA) *Asia Aerotechnic Sdn. Bhd. (AAT) *MARALiner Sdn. Bhd (MLSB) *Technology Park Malaysia College Sdn. Bhd. (TPM College) *MARA Excellent Ventures Sdn. Bhd. (MEX) *UniMARA Sdn. Bhd. (UniMARA) *Rural Capital Sdn. Bhd. (RCSB) *MARA Aerospace & Technologies Sdn. Bhd (M-AeroTech) *YPM Realties Sdn. Bhd. (YPMR) *MARA Incorporated Sdn. Bhd (MARA Inc.) *Glocal Link (M) Sdn. Bhd (GLSB) *MARA Corporation Sdn. Bhd. (MARA Corp.)

References

External links