PUTRAJAYA: Malaysian students taking degree courses abroad can continue their studies at local institutions of higher learning (IPT) through horizontal credit transfer effective immediately.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh (pic) in announcing the policy said the decision was made following the weakening of the Malaysian Ringgit.
He said affected parents had voiced their intention to register their children at local IPT due to the rising cost of education abroad.
"Apart from lightening the burden of parents, the decision was also in line with the confidence of the ministry that the Malaysian higher education system is on par with the quality of universities overseas.
"Students planning to continue their courses at local IPTs can apply directly through their selected IPTs based on senate results," he told a media conference here Wednesday.
Elaborating further, Idris said the horizontal credit transfer would be implemented on a subject-to-subject mapping by local IPTs in compliance with several conditions.
"Among the conditions are the minimum passing grade of C; credit value must be the same with credit value of courses for the programme of the recipient IPT; 80% parity of course curriculum and the course to be transferred should be from the programme which has been accredited or recognised," he said.
Idris said there is no credit limit set for the transfer in the programme by students into local IPT.
Nonetheless, he said to enable local IPTs to award scrolls, students in their final semester should spend one residential year at a local IPT.
In this regard, Idris said to facilitate credit transfer, students needed to obtain the approval to terminate their courses at foreign universities and to confirm their places at local IPTs.
"Students in dentistry, engineering and medicine need to ensure their places at local IPTs before carrying out the credit transfer," he said.
Idris said the ministry would be enhancing the policy to allow local students undergoing preparatory courses for overseas study to apply to local IPT to continue their studies without going through the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).
"This improved policy is effective immediately. In the past, students in the American Degree Transfer Programme and UK /Australian Degree Transfer Programmes needed to obtain the prior written approval of MQA," he said.
To date there are 80,000 students taking degree courses abroad, Idris said.
Also present was MQA chief executive officer Datuk Prof Dr Rujhan Mustafa. – Bernama
