SpotLight/Unrecognised qualifications: It's not quite a UM diploma - NST

Jan 18, 2009

You open the newspapers and an advertisement featuring the logo of a prominent public university jumps out at you. The ad offers an executive diploma programme at affordable rates and, to sweeten the deal, it can be done part-time. But these qualifications may not be recognised by the Public Service Department or the Malaysian Qualifications Agency. SONIA RAMACHANDRAN finds out what such qualifications mean.

MAY (not her real name) wanted to know more about human resources.

An advertisement in the newspaper with a Universiti Malaya (UM) logo caught her eye.

It was offering an executive diploma in human resource management.

"I thought 'Wow! It's UM and it is not easy to get in there' so I joined and paid the deposit," she said.
"I thought it was an accredited and recognised degree as it was from UM. Classes were also held in the UM campus and that added to the impression the qualifications were UM qualifications."

Only after paying more than RM7,000 and joining the course did May realise that she had joined the University of Malaya Centre for Continuing Education (UMCCed) and not UM.

"I still thought it was all right as it carried the UM name."

On the first day of class, May said they were told their diploma was recognised by Open University Malaysia.

Their diploma was not recognised by other public universities or the Public Service Department.

"This centre emphasises life-long learning, but how is this life-long learning when there is no avenue to do so as the diploma is not recognised by any accreditation body?

"If they cannot carry out the mission statement, it is an embarrassment to say this is a centre for continuous education. It is an insult to our intelligence."

Then they found out that their executive diploma in human resource management was not even recognised by UMCCed.

"After finding out that our qualifications were not recognised by Open University Malaysia, I had no choice but to continue with my degree in UMCCed.

"That was when I was told that I could not do so as my diploma in HR management was not approved by the UM Senate," said a student who wanted to be identified only as Sarip.

A Higher Education Department officer said UMCCed was a subsidiary owned by UM and established under the Companies Act.

The qualifications awarded by UMCCed, said the officer, should be treated the same as any qualification offered by a private higher educational institution.

The National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) received 450 complaints in 2007 on misleading advertisements by higher education institutions.

Last year, there were 350 complaints.

Among these complaints were those regarding courses offered by "subsidiaries" of public universities offering "executive" courses.

NCCC chief executive officer Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah said they received complaints that the students of subsidiaries of public universities received briefings in the public university itself.

"Some of these 'subsidiaries' have a campus outside the public university but when they recruit and give briefings, they do it on the public university's premises.

"The location provides the student with the impression that the course is affiliated with the university."

Sha'ani said the Higher Education Ministry should impose some regulations on these subsidiaries.

Malaysian Qualifications Agency chief executive officer Datuk Dr Syed Ahmad Hussein said most of the courses offered by the commercial arms of public universities, particularly the executive diplomas, did not fall within the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF).

"The commercial arms are subsidiaries of the universities and are subject to their rules and regulations.

"Executive diplomas and other qualifications with the word 'executive' do not fall under us.

"But we have formed a technical committee last month, made up of top scholars, to advise MQA on some qualifications like associate degrees, executive diplomas and executive bachelor degrees that are offered around the world that have not been fitted into our framework."

Syed Ahmad said while seeking accreditation was not compulsory under the MQA Act, other related higher education acts, as well as the provisions made by funding agencies and foreign governments made accreditation of courses mandatory.

The Ministry of Higher Education also makes it compulsory for programmes in all institutions of higher learning to be in compliance with the MQF by 2011.

One proof of this compliance is accreditation.

"We are aware of courses by these commercial arms and are talking to the Higher Education Ministry and the public universities to see how these courses can be brought in line with the spirit and letter of the framework."

He advised students to always check the status of their courses when they were in doubt.

"Our door is always open. We will never reject any query or complaint and will forward it to the relevant agency or department if it does not fall under us."

Higher Education Department director-general Datuk Dr Radin Umar Radin Sohadi said any programme offered by any university in any form, had to be governed by MQF.

Under the framework, he said, the learning outcome, specifications and attributes of the programmes were specified.

"MQF is flexible in the sense that the method of delivery of the course can differ so long as it meets the attributes defined.

"Universities offering programmes in whatever form have to get them accredited."