The hashtag #SoaringUpwards, the catch phrase of the Higher Education Ministry, has been trending in the social media and used more than 10 million times, the Dewan Rakyat was told Thursday.

Its minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said this showed that the ministry's effort to provide understanding and popularise the slogan among students and youths had reached its target.

"The slogan 'Soaring Upwards' has become a trend in the media (print and electronic media) and social media.

"For example, the hashtag has been used more than three million times during our programme in Sabah and four million times in Sarawak," he said in reply to a question from Prof Dr Ismail Daut (BN-Merbok).

'Soaring Upwards' is the ministry's slogan to inspire its personnel, agencies and institutions of higher learning on the importance of continuous achievement not only domestically but also globally.

"(Among the achievements are) the public universities in Malaysia are ranked in the world's top one per cent while the QS World University Rankings 2016 placed Universiti Malaya at 133 from 146 in 2015," he said. -- BERNAMA