Sunday, April 20, 2008

Education institutions must be accountable - The Star

April 20, 2008

Higher education institutions must be accountable to the public and to their stakeholders.
Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Idris Haron said governance went beyond the management of institutions.

“It is a complex system of interactions among structures, traditions, functions and processes characterised by the three key values of accountability, transparency and participation,” he told reporters after opening an executive education programme on governance and university boards in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, recently.

The nature and quality of these interactions, the deputy minister added, lead to sustainable human development, how power is exercised, how decisions are made, how stakeholders have their say and how decision- makers are held accountable.

“Accountability cannot be enforced without transparency and the rule of law,” Idris said.
In the context of higher education institutions, he said the focus was on the connections and interactions between and among university governing personnel, in order to advance professional development.

Idris said it was not an easy task to empower higher education institutions.
“It cannot be done overnight. Our efforts can only be achieved through hard work, patience and strong will.”

On the programme, he said it was the third in a series or-ganised by the Higher Education Leadership Academy of Malaysia (Akept).

“It is a positive and encouraging step forward in the advancement of higher education,” added the deputy minister.

No comments: