Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA; ) is a

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

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

Bumiputra ''Bumiputera'' or ''bumiputra'' ( Jawi: , Native) is a term used in Malaysia to describe Malays, the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia, various indigenous peoples of East Malaysia, and Peranakans. The term is derived from the Sanskrit langu ...

( 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 Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

and industry. MARA was formed on 1 March 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

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...

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 (; Jawi script, Jawi: ) is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives, Literal translation, lit. "People's As ...

converted it into 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 Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, MARA operates three overseas offices in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, Egypt.

Entrepreneurship aid

Among other activities, MARA offers loans to Bumiputra

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

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

Islamic banking Islamic banking, Islamic finance ( ''masrifiyya 'islamia''), or Sharia-compliant finance is banking or financing activity that complies with Sharia (Islamic law) and its practical application through the development of Islamic economics. Some ...

, better known as the

Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

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

entrepreneurs. MARA lends Bumiputra entrepreneurs facilities, 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 is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

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. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

s and the

University of Kuala Lumpur The University of 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 ...

, 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 in Malaysia, based primarily in Shah Alam, Selangor. It was established to ...

was also operated by MARA, though it has since become its own entity under the Ministry of Higher Education. The

junior colleges A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

, referred to as Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (

MARA Junior Science College MARA Junior Science Colleges (MJSC) (), is a network of boarding schools founded by the Majlis Amanah Rakyat, People's Trust Council (PTC) (), a Malaysian governmental organization. These schools offer educational resources for students acro ...

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 Barisan Nasional (BN; ) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1974 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties to succeed the Alliance Party. It is the third largest political coalition with 30 seats in ...

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.

Scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...

s are offered to Bumiputra students to attend local and foreign institutions. Students are required to specialise in certain professions such as engineering, medicine, or accounting."Bahagian Penganjuran Pelajaran MARA – BPP"
. Retrieved 16 February 2006.

Subsidiaries

Mara Liner bus route ML90 at Terminal Bas Sementara Bagan Datuk 20231220 130922

*Kolej Poly-Tech MARA Sdn. Bhd. (Universiti Poly-Tech MARA – UPTM) *Universiti Teknikal MARA Sdn. Bhd. ( Universiti Kuala Lumpur – UniKL) * German-Malaysian Institute (GMI) *GIATMARA Sdn. Bhd. (GIATMARA) *Pelaburan MARA Berhad (PMB) *Yayasan Pelajaran MARA (YPM) *Pusat Pembangunan Reka Bentuk Sdn. Bhd. (DDEC) *F.I.T Center Sdn. Bhd. (FITEC) *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