Value-driven global education strategies must be in place if Malaysia hopes to realise the 8.5% international student growth projection by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
This, says Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities president Datuk Parmjit Singh, requires a concerted “all-of-country” effort.
“For instance, there is a need to extend the Graduate Pass to all international students regardless of source country, enabling these graduates to serve in Malaysia for at least two years.
“Currently, this is only available selectively to students from 32 countries for one year,” he said.
For the country to attract a total of 260,000 international students by 2030, institutions need to improve academic and employer recognition to remain competitive, The Global Student Flows: Malaysia, published by QS on Jan 13, read.
“They also must align curricula with future-focused industry needs, strengthen industry partnerships, and demonstrate strong graduate employment outcomes.
“To stay competitive, Malaysian institutions must maintain their differentiators, especially affordability, while diversifying and expanding international enrolments.
“As Malaysia emerges as a major study destination, universities must plan for a range of scenarios to be agile, adaptable, and enable growth,” it adds.
Vice Chancellors’ Council for Private Universities chairman Prof Mushtak Al-Atabi said students want to know whether a university is respected by employers, academics and even their peers, and whether graduates from a particular programme are actually getting good jobs.
“If we take the recent analysis seriously, we have to accept that reputation and graduate outcomes are now the real tests for our system.
“Looking ahead, I would like to see our policy framework evolve to reflect new realities, especially hybrid and transnational models of learning,” he said.
