The Star recently highlighted a couple of news on the issue of colleges running programs without valid regulatory requirements. This is an ongoing issue as Malaysia is moving towards the mission of becoming renowned for its institutions of higher learning.
The natural attraction of Malaysia is understandable; being the melting pot of Asian cultures, the country is also blessed with good weather as well as the friendly people who are mostly conversant in English. However, the fertile ambience has also made the country a front for companies intending to make the quick buck, so much so the government of Malaysia is considerably finding it a challenge to nab these institutions in the bud.
There are basic pre-requisites for a college to run a programme; firstly the college must be approved of a license to operate by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (MOHE) as stipulated in the Private Higher Education Institution Act 1996 (Act 555). An institution should have the license certificate, which is usually valid for a period of five years, publicly displayed. Secondly, the program offered must also be approved. The approval letter should include the details of the program including the duration, the location of conduct, the courses in the program as well as other important information. Sadly though, there still exist colleges who flout these rulings and plead oversight as their escape clause from punishment.
As a Malaysian Malay Muslim, I am thankful that MOHE, especially the Department of Private Education, is continuously taking a pro-active stance in this issue. I urge them to continue acting strongly against these irresponsible institutions which are putting the national agenda of establishing Malaysia as a regional higher education hub in jeopardy. All it takes is a few bad hats to turn cases such as the ones above into bad publicity.
In moving towards a nation supported by the service based industry under the New Economic Model (NEM), the focus on quality and innovation in tertiary education must not be compromised. Thus, we as the public could work hand in hand with the regulatory bodies such as MOHE and the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA) to weed out these unscrupulous owners of higher institutions whose only thoughts are centred around making quick profits above anything else. By highlighting higher education-related cases, we are safeholding not only the national interest, but the survival of our children.
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