No.

32 31 May 2008

HIGHER EDUCATION: MIDDLE EAST (PART 3)

Implications for Malaysia
Introduction
The first two parts of the series had provided updates on the current development in higher education
that is taking place in the Middle East region since late 2007. Without doubt, several oil-rich countries in
this region especially Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar have transformed remarkably. Millions of oil
revenues had been channelled into the construction of state-of-art infrastructure to boost the growth of
higher education.
Each of the mega-university projects, the Education City (Qatar), King Abdullah University of Science and
Technology (Saudi Arabia), University City (Abu Dhabi, UAE), Knowledge Village (Dubai, UAE) and the
Dubai International Academic City (Dubai, UAE), are fine examples of how infrastructure development
has impacted higher education in these countries.
Since the September 11 incident and the rising tensions between the United States and Middle East,
students from the region have sought safer and more affordable options closer to home, as pointed out
by Sedgwick (2004). Therefore, the trend of increasing Middle East students to Malaysia perfectly reflects
this trend in Middle East student flow.
However, it is important for Malaysia to recognise that while the number of students from the region
coming to Malaysia is substantial, nevertheless, this flow may not be sustainable in the medium to longer
term (Morshidi, 2008). Recent rapid development of higher education in the region further signalled and
reaffirmed this cautionary viewpoint.
Thirst for US-Style Education
From the trend of collaboration between the Middle East countries and universities in establishing branch
campuses, it reflects a Western bias in their preference by the governments and societies in the region. A
large majority of the branch campuses that are anchoring the development of these mega-projects are
universities and institutions from the United States, with a handful from Europe.
Although student enrolments from the Middle East to the West has decreased due to various reasons,
such as cost, bureaucratic barriers and security constraints, the brisk opening of branch campuses by
Western-based institutions indicate a probable shift in the trend of students flow. It is of great appeal to
students who wished for Western-style education, who are now able to do so without actually having to
travel overseas. Adding to that, the reputation of these institutions operating the branch campuses is truly
an additional plus point for the students.

Institut Penyelidikan Pendidikan Tinggi Negara . Suite 109, Tingkat 1 . Kompleks EUREKA . Universiti Sains Malaysia .
Tel: 604 - 6590534, 604 - 6534090 . Fax: 604-6590532
Website: www.usm.my/ipptn . E-mail: ipptn@yahoo.com

Initiative by Malaysia
Among the public higher education institutions in Malaysia, the International Islamic University of Malaysia
(IIUM) has the highest number of foreign students. There is reason to believe that a large majority of
Middle Eastern students were enrolled in this university because the medium of instruction is both Arabic
and English. In 2006, 32 per cent of foreign students were registered in IIUM while the remaining foreign
students were distributed in 17 other public institutions.
Recruitment campaigns were also organised in the Middle East by the Malaysian government and higher
education institutions, highlighting Malaysias comparative advantage in terms of socio-cultural and
religious similarities with the region, and at the same time, emphasising the low cost and good bilateral
relations between the both parties. As to further boost the enrolment of Middle East students in Malaysia,
particularly those from Saudi Arabia, the Albukhary Foundation was launched to provide 1,000
scholarships for Saudi Arabian students to study in Malaysia, over a period of four years (Ramkumar, 2007).
Implications and Conclusion
Observing the global trend of international student flow, indeed, the benchmark and level of competition
has been raised tremendously since the turn of the millennium. Malaysias competitiveness in higher
education is at an important juncture, with numerous global challenges. Among them are the massive
investments in the Arabian Gulf region and the declared intention of Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong,
Korea and parts of Europe to be the education hub in attracting international students.
While Malaysia has the National Higher Education Strategic Plan 2020 and the National Higher Education
Action Plan 2007-2010 to chart the future of higher education in the country, the implementation of these
plans must take full cognizance of the fast changing development in the international scene (Morshidi,
2008). As a continuous effort to strengthen the comparative advantage, Malaysia needs to focus on the
important aspects of higher education quality assurance, accreditation, research capability,
opportunity for scholastic development, availability of scholarship and research grants which are all
important factors for foreign students in their consideration in choosing the destination for international
higher education.
Certainly, Malaysia has the competitive edge in one or two aspects, but more effort is needed to
compete in a highly challenging contest internationally to be the higher education hub.
Prepared by:
Mr. Wan Chang Da (Research Officer, IPPTN)
Associate Professor Dr. Sarjit Kaur (Associate Research Fellow, IPPTN)
Professor Muhamad Jantan (Acting Director, IPPTN)
Sources:
Morshidi, S. (2008). The impact of September 11 on international student flow into Malaysia: Lessons learned.
Paper presented at International Students in the Asia Pacific: Mobility, Migration, Wellbeing and Security,
University of Wollongong, Australia, February 13-15.
Ramkumar, K. S. (2007). Saudi students look towards Malaysia for higher studies. Arab News, May 3. Retrieved 18
April 2008 from http://www.arabnews.com
Robertson, S. (2008). Malaysia education: Strategic branding leads to growth in international student numbers
2006-8? Global HigherEd, March 16. Retrieved 16 April 2008 from http://globalhighered.wordpress.com

Institut Penyelidikan Pendidikan Tinggi Negara . Suite 109, Tingkat 1 . Kompleks EUREKA . Universiti Sains Malaysia .
Tel: 604 - 6590534, 604 - 6534090 . Fax: 604-6590532
Website: www.usm.my/ipptn . E-mail: ipptn@yahoo.com