KUALA LUMPUR: Moving beyond purely academic assessment, the government plans to reintroduce a comprehensive mechanism to evaluate university students based on values and ethics, said Higher Education Deputy Minister Adam Adli.
Known as the Character Grade Point Average (I-CGPA) 2.0, Adam said the system is designed to measure a student’s holistic development, covering soft skills, ethics and personal values.
"The Higher Education Ministry is aiming to fully implement this at all public universities by 2028," said Adam during Question Time in Parliament on Tuesday (Jan 20).
Adam was responding to Kamal Ashaari (PN-Kuala Krau), who asked if the ministry planned to introduce a student and graduate wellbeing index to measure morals, emotional literacy and mental health.
Adam noted that Tuesday (Jan 20) marks a significant moment as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will launch the Malaysian Higher Education Plan 2026-2035.
"This strategic plan was drafted to spur the national higher education transformation agenda to remain relevant, competitive and responsive to global challenges," he added.
Presently, Adam said student wellbeing is measured by public universities through institutional assessments.
For example, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) uses a wellbeing index with 63 items to track welfare and character development, while Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) uses the Naqli and Aqli Knowledge Graduate Model.
For mental health, Adam said the Psychological Wellbeing Inventory (IPKSI) is the main instrument used, alongside the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) and psychometric profiling.
