Back on track: HEIs must redouble efforts to implement the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education). — Filepic
The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education) is comprehensive and well-designed, and it outlines key attributes or “shifts” for our graduates to be future-ready.
The first and most important attribute is Shift 1 (Holistic, Entrepreneurial and Balanced Graduates).
Shift 1 mirrors the national education philosophy, which reads: “Education in Malaysia is an ongoing effort towards further developing the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner, so as to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonious, based on a firm belief in and devotion to God.
“Such an effort is designed to produce Malaysian citizens who are knowledgeable and competent, who possess high moral standards, and who are responsible and capable of achieving a high level of personal well-being, as well as being able to contribute to the harmony and betterment of the family, the society and the nation at large.”
The blueprint is a 10-year plan and at its mid-point in 2020, I did a research to determine the level of progress and conformance among private higher education institutions (HEIs).
Findings from that research showed that results were mixed, as published in the Malaysian Journal of Qualitative Research (A Case Study of Private Higher Education Institutions in Conforming to the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education)).
As we are now approaching the end of the blueprint period, it is opportune to revisit it.
My research revealed two meta-themes derived from eight emergent themes. The meta-themes were that firstly, private HEIs were not fully conforming to Shift 1; and secondly, there was at the time no movement or momentum by these institutions towards full conformity to Shift 1.
Based on these findings, it was recommended that private HEIs go back to basics to familiarise themselves with the blueprint and other related policies; and that public policy tools be strengthened and new ones introduced to guide these institutions to conformity.
Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic struck in early 2020, thus upending all pre-laid plans and entire segments of society.
The Covid-19 induced movement control orders and physical closures of education institutions resulted in an abrupt shift towards online education, otherwise known as Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT), and derailed the blueprint, particularly with regard to private HEIs.
During the initial ERT, all education institutions were scrambling and stumbling to migrate from conventional classroom teaching to online education delivery.
There was an equally daunting challenge of maintaining financial profitability.
Commendably, most institutions, lecturers, students and even parents rose to the challenge and online education was delivered relatively successfully on aggregate.
Nonetheless, there was a loss, as focus was turned away from blueprint conformance.
Shift 1 was negatively affected as online education has minimum emphasis on extracurricular activities.
Understandably, the priority during ERT was on delivering academic knowledge and ensuring students’ academic progress was not derailed.
Education institutions were hard-pressed to conform to the blueprint and the authorities too were constrained from monitoring and insisting upon their adherence.
As a result, it is estimated that private HEIs have been delayed from achieving the blueprint by at least two years.
Now that the Covid-19 situation has stabilised and society is returning to normalcy, it is imperative that all stakeholders redouble their efforts to get back on track.
“Education as usual” or “business as usual” among the public and private education sectors is no longer tenable.
The Higher Education Ministry and related authorities need to urgently introduce measures and policies to steer all the education institutions towards the realisation of the blueprint. The stakes are high.
Many countries, such as Indonesia and Vietnam, are jostling to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic economically stronger and socially more resilient.
Higher education is a key ingredient of economic and social competitiveness, and Malaysia must not be left behind.
We need to vigorously implement our Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education).
Otherwise, the goal of producing holistic, entrepreneurial and balanced graduates will not be actualised, and the future of our entire nation will be compromised.
Dr Wong Teik Aun, a senior lecturer at the Centre of Australian Degree Programmes at INTI International College Penang, loves writing on subjects close to his heart and has published Environment, Economy, Education: An Anthology of Articles, Penang People: An Anthology of Life Stories, and Off the Beaten Track Penang: A Pictorial Anthology. He has also published many academic articles in internationally ranked journals. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.
