PETALING JAYA, Mon: April 21, 2008 by Eileen Ng
The Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) will conduct a study to ascertain the feasibility of having mandatory accreditation for all institutions of higher learning.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin said this was in line with the government aspiration to turn Malaysia into an education hub.“I have directed the MQA to study this matter. We expect to make a decision before the tabling of the Higher Education Bill by year’s end,” he said during a visit to the MQA office today. He was accompanied by his deputy Dr Hou Kok Chung.
At present, only 39 per cent of more than 1,000 courses offered by universities and colleges were accredited, meaning they are recognised by the government.MQA-accredited courses are deemed to have fulfilled its standards. Among the advantages of having accredited courses are that students would be able to apply for the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans and those who passed could apply for jobs in the civil service.
Khaled said mandatory accreditation would solve the problem of students unknowingly taking courses that were not recognised. However, he noted that some employers were hiring graduates regardless of whether their courses were recognised or not.
“This is why we needed to study the matter thoroughly,” he said. He said the MQA would be conducting an academic performance audit to evaluate the standing and academic competency of local educational institutions in June.Fifty-seven public and private institutions with university college and university status will be involved in the six-month exercise.
Preliminary work such as the preparation of documents and training for auditors has started.The MQA has also been urged to establish ties with international bodies.“This will benefit the country especially in terms of cross border education, academic mobility and gaining regional mutual recognition,” he said.
On the rating system for higher education aimed at increasing the competitiveness of local universities, Khaled said this would be announced in two weeks
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1 comment:
Though some colleges offer courses that are credited by MQA, many public universities still reluctant to accept those students.
As such, what is the point of given accreditation to the colleges ?
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