SHOBA ANPAZAGAN - MC210413577

NEITIYAH BALKRISHNAN- MC210413616

KARTINA RAMAKRISHNAN- MC 210413594
VEERAMMAL A/P KARUPPAYAN - MC210413571

From what we have discussed in this lesson, give suggestions to upgrade the quality of higher education
institutions in Malaysia.

Share your suggestions in the space provided below.

Introduction

Education International (EI), a Belgium based organization, defines quality education as one that focuses
on the social, emotional, mental, physical, and cognitive development of each student regardless of gender,
race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or geographic location. It prepares the child for life and not just for
testing. In 2012, the United Nations for the first time included ‘Quality Education’ in their Sustainable
Development Goals (SDG). Further, education in modern times is highly influenced and dependent on
Information and Communication Technology which has paved the way for students to attain school or
higher-level education. Quality education not only prepares a student for a job but also develops the overall
personality of an individual. In the case of children, it aims at their complete upbringing where morals and
ethics are taught as part of the curriculum to help them live a healthy lifestyle. 

Malaysia is come a long way ahead as far its education system is concerned. The opening of several
international schools over the past few decades has increased competition among the government-run
educational institutions, domestic private institutes, and the international school.

This has enhanced the quality of education in leaps and bounds of the Southeast Asian country and has
helped the students.

However, there are still some areas which need improvement and can be enhanced considerably by
initiating a few simple steps.

How upgrade the quality of higher education institutions in Malaysia?

Some measures by which the quality of education can be improved in Malaysia:

1. More focus on English language

The schools and educational institutions in Malaysia are laying more focus on English. However, even
more, efforts are required to be undertaken to teach and popularize English among the students. It has to be
ensured that the Malay students are taught English from a young age, which will help them to achieve a
good command over the language. When the students will work in a multinational company or study
abroad in the future, their proficiency in English will help them to thrive and succeed.

2. Enhance the quality of teachers through training and workshops

Schools and educational institutions can improve the quality of teachers by providing them adequate
training and knowledge-based workshops that will enable them to provide best-in-class teaching. Educators
play an important part in imparting teaching to their students and they should be trained so that they can
teach efficiently and effectively. Schools and institutes should conduct programs to recruit good educators
and train them with best available resources.

3. Promote extracurricular activities and organize co-curricular events

Schools and educational institutions should promote extracurricular activities and encourage the students to
participate in them. Schools can organize co-curricular events to refresh the minds and spirits of students
and help them to develop a well-rounded personality. These extracurricular activities and events will help
the schools to develop a more open culture and ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of the students.
4. Encourage students to develop critical thinking skills
Educators must encourage and induce students to develop critical thinking skills and avoid rote-learning
techniques. The purpose of education is to enable students to understand and achieve their potential not to
test their memory and speed.

5. Implement interactive style of teaching

Malaysian schools and educational institutions are required to implement an interactive style of teaching as
it requires greater level of interaction between teachers and students. The schools that implement an
interactive style of teaching fare better than the schools that don’t implement such teaching style.

6. Put more emphasis on coursework, not tests

Teachers must give greater importance on the coursework and not measure a student’s worth on the basis
of his/her test scores. The coursework should be designed in such a way that it will enable students to
improve their problem-solving abilities, communication skills, decision making abilities, and critical
thinking skills.

7. Focus more on practical subjects

Instead of laying more focus on the theoretical subjects, schools and educational institutions must lay more
focus on developing the practical knowledge of the students through practical subjects. Practical subjects
such as math, science, English, French, German, Mandarin, etc, should be taught to the students that will
enable them to do well in the real world.

8. Ensure consistent program for students

The schools and colleges in Malaysia keep on changing their syllabus and curriculum from time to time. It
makes difficult for students to cope with the frequently changing syllabus. Schools and colleges should
ensure that they put in place consistent syllabus for the students.

Conclusion
Malaysia’s higher education system is on track to achieve desired goals of producing competitive graduates
in the global market place. Nevertheless, Malaysia remains in need of students and graduates who acquire
skills in independent thinking and problem solving to lead the nation towards achieving its Vision 2020.
Higher education is crucial in the production of citizens who are educable for life and responsible enough
to contribute to social harmony and improved living standards. Nonetheless, we must continue to
emphasize ethics and high individual moral standards to soundly achieve our national aspirations.

References

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Ahmad, M. A. & Noran, F. Y. (1999). business of higher education in Malaysia: development and
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Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific. retrieved July 4, 2011, from http://mahdzan.com.

Ariffin, A. A., Ahmad A. H., Ahmad, s. & Ibrahim, A. (2008). Determining decision-making styles and
demographic differences in selecting higher education services among Malaysian. International Journal of
Business and Society, 9(1), 1-18.

Arora, G. L. (1986). Quest for quality in education. The Education Quarterly, 38(1), 5-8. baig, E. &
Khan, s. (2010). Higher education as a service: strategic direction for Pakistani higher education
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