INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION LANS EXPERIENCE INCUE CONFERENCE

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Assuring the Quality of National and
Transnational Higher Education Programmes An
International Perspective 6-7 March 08, Chennai,
India Quality Assuring Collaborative Delivery In
Changing And Maturing National Contexts
Malaysian Experience, a recipients perspective
DATO DR. SYED AHMAD HUSSEIN ZITA MOHD
FAHMI CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER DEPUTY CHIEF
EXECUTIVE OFFICER (QA) MALAYSIAN QUALIFICATIONS
AGENCY
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OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

• Defining scope collaborative delivery
• Collaborations-Higher education institutions
  (HEIs)
• Laws and Ministry of Higher Education
• National approach for collaborative delivery
• Laws
• Benefits
• Concern
• Changes National Higher Education Master Plans
  and Malaysian Qualifications Agency
• Future directions

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Factors Contributing to the Growth of
International Education in Malaysia

• Long historical reliance on foreign education
• Liberalisation policy in higher education towards
  foreign education-access /choices
• Addressing capacity building
• Demand exceeds access
• Attractive and affordable-private providers
• National competitiveness policy- destination of
  choice

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Collaborative delivery

• No specific detailed definition for collaborative
  delivery
• Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996
  (PHEI Act 1996) defines Private institutions
  offering higher education/distance education by
  itself or in association, affiliation,
  cooperation with local or foreign HEIs or
  professional bodies for programmes leading to
  obtaining membership of the body.
• Largely between local HEI and foreign HEI or
  consortium of universities
• An agreement or memorandum of understanding
• Foreign branch campus status locally registered
  and expected to offer programmes approved by its
  Senate

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Collaborative delivery-Laws and Ministry of
Higher Edcuation

• Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996
  Ministry regulates private providers, amongst
  others , registration of institutions and
  approval of programmes
• MOHEs Policy on collaborative delivery ( numbers
  of collaborative arrangements, 20 for
  Universities and University Colleges, MoA,
  curriculum, entry, faculty, quality, professional
  programmes, responsibility for students,
  upgrading policy from twinning to full
  collaboration, choice of partners etc. for
  private higher educational institutions)
• Quality assurance MQA/LAN and professional
  bodies

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Benefits of Collaborative Arrangements

• Mobility, attractive to local and international
  students, affordable choice and competitiveness
• Enhance transfer of knowledge, technology, staff
  training and maturing of institutions (
  significant?),
• Internationalised impact cultural exposure
• Supports governments aspiration to establish
  education regional hub
• Extension of quality audit by Quality Assurance
  bodies
• Increase engagements of foreign professional
  bodies on collaborative delivery

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Major concerns

• Private sector economics affects quality delivery
• Comparability of quality of experiential learning
• Difference in educational system and policies
• Vague and open arrangements/responsibilities of
  parties
• Lack due diligence
• Vulnerable to changing policies
• Recognition issues
• National sovereignty /local/cultural needs
• Collaborative delivery involving agents and
  unregistered operators-e-learning /distance
  education

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Change drivers -A maturing HE system

• International level globalisation of QA and HE
• Networks (INQAAHE) regional development in QA,.
  UNESCO, APQN, World Bank
• WTO/GATS-Mutual Recognition Agreement matters
• Ranking issues
• National development Maturing system
• 9th National Dev Plans Higher education National
  Higher Education Strategic Plans -2020
  consolidation for national competitiveness
• Repositioning quality assurance regime -Malaysian
  Qualifications Framework-all HE providers
• Malaysian Qualifications Agency est. 1/11/07
• Collaborations with professional bodies

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Elements of Change in Quality Assurance-Quality
in diversity

• A shift in role of Ministry and MQA-developmental
  macro
• Enhancing internal QA of HEIs
• Some elements of regulatory remain
• Audit/Rating stimulates competitiveness,
  differentiation and market oriented
• Implementation of Malaysian Qualifications
  Framework to support intra/inter- sector
  movement, unifying -levels and credits and
  outcomes
• Accreditation processes centre on accountability
  but aims also at assuring as well as stimulating
  an institutional quality culture
• Collaboration with stakeholders, before and after
• Clear and transparent national regulation/system
  for WTO and GATs needs

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Impact on Collaborative Delivery

• Regulation by MOHE remains
• Enhances quality and public confidence with the
  diversity of programmes available through
  programme accreditation and audit
• Transparency, fairness and objectivity in
  assessments
• Assist credit transfer and recognition of
  qualifications
• Malaysian Qualifications Framework incorporates
  international dimension harmonisation and
  equivalency
• Review policies and approach for improvement of
  collaborative delivery

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Future Direction

• MOHE Higher Education Plan 2007-2020 encourages
  colloborative provision / internationalisation of
  HE
• Other education related laws to accommodate
  changes
• Builds on internationalisation of higher
  education and quality assurance
• Recognises the need to seek a common platform on
  quality assuring of collaborative activities
• Increase cooperation between QA agencies
• Identify measures to eliminate diploma mills,
  bogus qualifications and operators

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THANK YOU
MALAYSIAN QUALIFICATIONS AGENCY mqa.gov.my
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