The government is determined to make Malaysia a regional and international centre of education excellence by ensuring that the higher education institutions offer quality education. Education is a major investment in human capital as more Malaysians sought to acquire knowledge, skills and technology. It is also one of the key focuses of the Ninth Malaysian Plan (2006 – 2010), where approximately RM 50billion is expected to be invested in education infrastructure.
To further strengthen the quality of higher education in Malaysia, the Malaysian Government has recently launched the Higher Education Strategic Plan (27 August 2007). This Plan aims to transform the higher education sector to produce highly knowledgeable and first class human capital as well as develop world class higher education institutions.
The Malaysian Government’s commitment in education can be clearly reflected in Malaysia’s 2008 Budget, where a sum of RM 12billion has been allocated for the implementation of various higher education projects and programmes that include enhancement of research, development and commercialisation activities in the four research universities - Universiti Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Universiti Sains Malaysia; increased allocation to Universiti Teknologi MARA to obtain 200,000 students by 2010; expansion and upgrading of Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Universiti Darul Iman and Universiti Pertahanan; re-branding and establishment of new community colleges.
In light of the increase in living costs, the Malaysian government has taken the initiative to increase the cost of living allowance (COLA) for all sponsored students (in-country and abroad). Effective September 2007, COLA for students in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada will increase by 97 per cent (almost double its current rate) and for those studying in-country, between 23 per cent and 84 per cent.
Economic growth for the year 2007 is expected to remain strong with an estimated GDP growth of 6.0 per cent. With the 2008 Budget policies and strategies in place, the nation’s economic growth is expected to remain strong with a projection of 6.0 per cent to 6.5 per cent for 2008.
The latest HESA figures for 2005/2006 recorded a total of 11,495 students which breaks down into 8,020 students in undergraduate courses, 1,690 taking PG taught programmes and 1,785 taking PG research programmes. The slight decline in the number of Malaysians in the UK as compared to figures for 2004/2005 (which have recorded a total of 11,515 students), could be partially due to the emergence of Trans-National Education (TNE) in Malaysia, whereby students could spend a couple of additional years in Malaysia before progressing to the UK to complete their degree studies. Based on a recent survey conducted by the British Council, it is estimated that there are 30,000 students who are currently undertaking UK programmes delivered in Malaysia via TNE.
In brief, the education system in Malaysia is categorised into three levels, primary, secondary and tertiary. Most Malaysians would have completed their studies until the secondary level. With Malaysia’s aspiration to increase the number of 17 to 23 years old in higher education from 30 per cent to 40 per cent in 2010, more students would have the opportunity to pursue their studies at a tertiary level.
Students usually have the option to pursue their tertiary studies either at a local university (which is usually taught in Bahasa Melayu) or a private education institution (which usually uses English as its medium of instruction). Recently, there has been an increase in demand for overseas education programmes taught partly in Malaysia, with numbers of students on twinning/international joint programmes (programmes completed via TNE) now larger than those on overseas programmes. This is mainly due to the perception that the cost of study overseas is relatively higher when being compared against academic programmes which are completed locally.
The education industry in Malaysia continues to grow rapidly. Seeing this, many countries, namely Australia, USA, New Zealand and Canada, are making their presence felt in the market here. Russia has successfully positioned itself as a medical destination while countries like Germany, Japan, China, Taiwan and France are increasing their marketing activities.
The Ministry of Higher Education, universities and other institutions of higher learning will play an important role in the development of human and intellect capital. This is inline with the Government’s priority to produce quality graduates and achieve the objectives of Vision 2020.
The Government has set a target for at least 40 per cent of the population within the age cohort of 17 to 23 to obtain tertiary education by the year 2010. Besides that, the Government had also set a target of recruiting 100,000 foreign students by then. To ensure that students would be taught by qualified lecturers, the Government had put aside a substantial amount of investment for lecturers to pursue PhD studies. With this initiative, it is hoped that the Government’s target of 60 per cent of its academics having PhD by 2010 could be achieved.
To increase the number of professionals with the required skills, the Government will award scholarships to outstanding students to pursue courses, such as science, pharmacy, medicine and engineering at graduate and postgraduate levels, in local and renowned foreign universities. Besides these courses, biotechnology has also been highlighted as a new source of growth for Malaysia, and a substantial amount has also been allocated for the development of this sector.
Education institutions in Malaysia had been urged to link themselves closely with the industries, especially in engineering, technology and bio-medical fields, to keep abreast with current progress in the private sector.
British Council Malaysia, in general, provides in-depth information of the market scenario in Malaysia to UK universities which intend to penetrate into the education market in Malaysia. Besides providing a realistic representation of the education scene in Malaysia, British Council also functions as a mediator between the UK universities and local bodies in Malaysia (e.g. public institutions, private institutions, government authorities etc.) to resolve issues which would be of interest to all parties concerned.
To ensure that the presence of UK education is continuously felt throughout Malaysia, British Council organises numerous activities (e.g. education exhibitions, alumni gathering, visits to schools etc.) to reach out to the public. The Internet, which is fast emerging as the preferred mode of communication in Malaysia, has also been utilised effectively to keep the public informed of the latest happenings in the UK. With all these efforts in place, it is envisioned that the public’s awareness of UK would be increased.
Education UK Partnership contact and additional information: British Council Malaysia has four offices in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. The main office is located in the centre of Kuala Lumpur. The Kuala Lumpur premises houses a large English language teaching & exams operation (16 classrooms), a Resource Library and an Education UK resource centre with staff on-site to provide free and impartial information. The Penang centre also has similar settings but on a smaller scale. Our Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) and Kuching (Sarawak) offices focus only on Education UK promotion and reform and Examination services, with smaller offices.
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