Director: Daniel C. Levy

Malaysian Government Facilitates Private University Status

(Summary by Prachayani Praphamontripong)

PROPHE Summary:
The Malaysian government has upgraded the status of five private colleges to universities and granted permission for the establishment of a new private university. The government has emphasized quality assurance and courses that meet global standards. It has also recognized the success of private higher education in enhancing intellectual property and technology innovation. Indeed, the government claims that part of private higher education is stepping into a position of a producer rather than just an importer of world-class innovations.

For the full story see the BERNAMA (Malaysian National News Agency), October 2004. "Upgrade of five colleges to universities".

PROPHE Observation:
One of the challenging issues worldwide for private higher education concerns the conditions under which it deserves or receives "university" status. In some countries the distinction between university and non-university is held fairly rigidly, with privates concentrating on the non-university side. Many private non-universities seek university status for legitimacy, recruitment, financial advantage, social standing, curriculum flexibility, and so forth. Approval of university status, as proceeding in Malaysia, can represent a push for more private higher education to escape "demand-absorbing" status and enter into more formidable academic work.