Higher education

18 Nov 2010

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Short description of the higher education system

Higher education providers can be either public or private and can be classified into three categories: polytechnic, college and university. Polytechnics were established in 1969 to provide training in engineering and commerce to students specializing in technical and vocational fields.

There are 30 teacher training colleges. There are also two public colleges, the Institut Teknologi MARA (ITM) and Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman (KTAR), which provide certificate, diploma and pre-university programmes mainly in the fields of commerce, applied science and technology. Malaysia has almost 30 public universities.

In addition to these public institutions are more than 300 private institutions offering some form of tertiary education. Several have twinning programmes with overseas universities. There are also foreign education providers. Monash University and Nottingham University were among the first to establish branch campuses in Malaysia.
 

Types of degrees

Universities offer bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees. Bachelor’s programmes have a nominal duration of three to four years. The nominal duration for programmes in medicine and dentistry is five years. A master’s degree is awarded following one to two years of study after completion of a bachelor’s.

There are three types of master’s degrees: those focused on research, those focused on coursework and those which combine the two. A PhD requires at least two additional years of study, but can require as many as seven for certain specializations.

Polytechnics, colleges and MARA Advanced Skills Training Institutes offer two-year courses leading to a certificate and three-year courses leading to a diploma. Foreign branch campuses award identical degree qualifications as the host universities overseas.
 

Quality assurance and accreditation

The Malaysian system has been liberalized to meet a growing demand for higher education, resulting in an increase in the number of private education institutions. Two laws passed in 1996 aim to maintain the quality of higher education:

  • Higher Education Act, monitoring the establishment and management of private higher-education institutions.
  • Lembaga Akreditasi Negara (LAN) Act, intended to safeguard the content and quality of certificates, diplomas and degrees issued by public institutions.

In 1997, the Lembaga Akreditasi Nasional (National Accreditation Board) was established for the purpose of carrying out the tasks associated with these laws, and made solely responsible for private higher education. Public higher education institutions were monitored by the Ministry of Education’s Quality Assurance Division.

The Ministry of Higher Education, founded in 2004, created a stimulus for combining these two accreditation organizations. The Malaysian Qualifications Agency was therefore created in 2007 and is now responsible for accreditation across the whole of higher education.
 

Recent reforms

The Malaysian higher education sector has grown tremendously during the past decade and the country is fast becoming a centre of educational excellence in the region. The recent launch of the 'Strategic Plan for Higher Education: Laying the Foundation Beyond 2020' outlines measures and strategies for the next decade.

Malaysia’s aim to become a regional centre for education has resulted in a considerable increase in the number of public higher education institutions, with the establishment of new polytechnics, universities and university colleges. Private education has also seen an increase in both the number of private education institutions and in collaborations with international universities. In 2007, the government announced its intention to double the number of international students, to 100,000, in 2010. At the end of 2009 that number passed the 80,000-mark. Most students come from China and Indonesia, but Malaysia is also becoming a major destination for students from Islamic countries in central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

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