For better interaction between students and lecturers, many local universities have actually strengthened their information and communications technology platforms.
The higher education sector in Malaysia is moving into a new stage of development. The messages coming from the revamped Higher Education Ministry clearly reflect this. Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin, the ministry’s minister, is in charge once more.
His first statement upon entering was that higher education in Malaysia has entered a new era of globalization and competition. Plans put forth when he was minister ten years ago must then be adjusted in accordance with the times.
The focus and delivery of higher education are undergoing structural changes. The COVID-19 pandemic, which lasted for two years, has also contributed to the urgent need for changes in how higher education institutions run their operations.
Transformational efforts were already in motion at the ministry before the change in leadership. Many people have been persuaded by the limited experience with online delivery during the pandemic that hybrid pedagogy is valuable for teaching and learning and should be strengthened.
For better interaction between students and lecturers, many local universities have actually strengthened their information and communications technology platforms.
The availability of higher education is also being aggressively increased in order to engage the workforce and help them advance their skills without quitting their jobs. To enable that, ideas like stackable micro credentials are presented.
Even higher education quality assurance, which is now overseen by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), has advanced significantly. Universities that meet the requirements can self-accredit their courses by following the MQA’s guidelines.
The quality of higher education in Malaysia can without a doubt compete with the best in the world. At the international level, we are prepared to exercise greater aggression. Our universities are now opening branch campuses abroad, whereas in the past we only hosted foreign universities that did so.
Universities from the likes of Australia, the United Kingdom, and even China have established themselves here in the past. The new branch campus of UCSI in Dhaka, Bangladesh, had its soft launch last Friday in front of the higher education minister.
Khaled was quick to declare in his speech that such an initiative marks the beginning of a new era of internationalization for Malaysia’s higher education sector. Our higher education agenda has always included internationalization.
Our universities are now expanding internationally, capping off a process that started with luring international students to study here. Khaled has stressed that this is the direction that the nation’s universities should take. And he is dedicated to bringing about additional initiatives of a similar nature.
In fact, he declares that his goal is to elevate Malaysian universities to the status of the world’s premier institutions of higher learning. Enhancing the nation’s R&D, which is a significant investment for the country, is one of Khaled’s 11 pillars of excellence.
Therefore, we should exercise caution when choosing the R&D areas in which we invest, such as those that produce the best economic returns and long-term well-being.
Khaled has stated unequivocally that R&D must, in the end, benefit society as a whole. There are hints that the R&D environment will change. The minister has stated that money will soon be available for policy research.
This is essential in order to provide a more secure foundation for the country’s development, which calls for increased R&D on policy formulation and implementation. The numerous statements made by Khaled to promote higher education are viewed as encouraging developments for the nation as we work to raise the caliber of graduates from our universities.
The majority of experts in higher education concur that, if we keep moving forward along the new path of aggressive internationalization and significant research, it is not overstating the case to say that we will eventually be acknowledged as one of the top providers of higher education in the world.