Table of Content

No. Content Page

1. Table of Content 1

2. Introduction 2

3. The Emergence of Private Institutes of Higher Learning 3

4. Reasons Students Choose to Pursue Their Education in a 4

Private Institute of Higher Learning

Quality of Students Who Are in Private Institutions of Higher

5. Learning 6

6. The Issue of Accreditation of Private Institutes of Higher

Learning 9

7. Conclusion 10

References 11
8.

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Financial security has enabled students who are undeserving to
pursue an education in private institutions of higher learning.

Introduction

We have reached a point of time where certain privileges in life have been made
available to all and sundry. It is indeed a saddening fact that nowadays, it does not
matter if a candidate is deserving of an opportunity to pursue their studies in higher
learning institutions but rather whether they or their parents can afford to pay for their
studies especially in higher learning institutions. Yes, it is agreed that because the
available public universities have very limited places to offer the students of these
country the needed places to pursue a higher education, private institutions are needed
to fulfill the demand of these overflows. In the event of this, there has been a sudden
mushrooming of private institutions of education. Agreed, most of them have high
standards but are their credentials in check? Is the quality of students they take in,
satisfying? Are all these so call institutions fully accredited? And for those institutions
that claim to be sister universities of certain renowned foreign universities, are they
truthfully so? Also, in regards of these institutions’ fees, are all the deserving students
actually able to gain an admission and therefore claim an education that is befitting
them?

There are 20 public universities in Malaysia (at the time this paper was being
written), and 42 private institutions of higher learning. This shows that there is more
than double the amount of private institutes of higher learning if compared to public
universities. From this we can easily assess that higher education has now become yet
another business avenue. When something becomes a part of business, or something
you can buy of the shelves it also is fair to say that the said item will be available to
whomever who can afford it.

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The Emergence of Private Institutes of Higher Learning

Before delving into the matter of whether these private universities are all out for
the public’s money and thus pick any student of the applications roll, we should first
understand why these private institutes of higher learning came to be. Like with all
sectors, private institutions of higher learning came to be because the existing public
universities and institutes of higher learning could not cater to the demand that the
general public wanted. Even with the implementation of JPA (Jabatan Perkhidmatan
Awam) scholarships, and thus by sending the best students overseas to pursue the
degrees overseas, not all students with the appropriate qualifications were able to
pursue their tertiary education. In event of that, the government of Malaysia had allowed
private institutes of higher learning to open their doors to students who intend to pursue
degrees. What began as a step to provide those fully deserving to pursue a tertiary
education, slowly mushroomed into a business avenue. It is when something as noble
as education becomes a business avenue that it tends to be worrisome, as when we
speak of education, a certain standard has to be maintained at all times.

This being the case the government of Malaysia has put in effect a system that is
used to measure the credibility of the degrees, diplomas and certificates that these
institutions. The government has advised both parents and students to check up on the
background of these institutes to ensure they are not cheated into pursuing something
that at the end of the day does not hold any value whatsoever. All the public has to d is
to check whether or not the institute in mind has acquired a LAN accreditation for the
courses it offers.

In fact it was not until 1996( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_universities_in_Malaysia)

that private institutions of higher learning in Malaysia could offer degree courses to the
public. In fact, prior to 1996, these existing institutes could only off pre-university
courses where its students had to go overseas to pursue their degrees. The act that
enabled these private institutions to offer degree programmes to its students is the
Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996. Prior to that, private institutions of
higher learning existed but were not authorized to confer their own degrees. It is also
noticed that many private institutes of higher learning started coming into being after this
act. Prior to that, the number of private institutes of higher learning was very minimal.

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Reasons Students Choose to Pursue Their Education in a Private Institute of
Higher Learning

It is extremely important that we understand the reason why students or the

public favor courses offered in private institutes of higher learning. The reason is
definitely not for the financial aspect of it as in Malaysia, the fees demanded by public
universities and institutes of higher learning are far lower than that demanded by private
institutes. Yes, in a country like Malaysia where education is subsidized to a certain
extent, the courses offered by public universities are not only far more affordable,
student loans and scholarships too are far more accessible.

It is found that students choose to go to private institutes because it caters to

their need of getting their degrees faster and with much more ease (according to
Michelle Howard-Vital, 2006). Private institutions offer truncated terms, without breaks
or with minimal or shortened breaks, accelerated formats which also lead to profit.
Students in private institutions of higher learning tend to be offered to finish what usually
are 4 year courses which consist of 8 semesters in three year. The institutes who offer
these courses tend to do without all the long breaks which public universities tend to
provide and try as hard as possible to cram 8 semesters in the span of 3 years. These
also ensures the students do not have time to break free for a month or two at a stretch
and in certain cases lose their focus on their studies. It should be noted as well that this
also is a course for concern as what these students don’t seem to understand is that
when taking a professional course for instance engineering, it is stipulated in the
engineering board of Malaysia that one has to complete four years of engineering. This
of course comes into effect as certain criterions as well as training periods have to be
observed in order to ensure the training an education intended for a would be
professional has to be precise. Also these breaks provided by the public universities are
to ensure that its students are able to return home (especially if they come from East
Malaysia) or able to take a break from their studies after every term.

Also, these private institutions of higher learning do not offer courses which some
students see as “unnecessary.” In public universities, at least in most of them, the
university management insists that their students take extra courses in addition to the
core courses they need in order to get their degrees. Courses that are meant here are,
for instance; Kursus Kemahiran Maklumat, TITAS, Inter-Ethnic Studies, Co-Curricular
courses as well as Elective courses which are not a part of the students core courses
and at the same time do not belong to the students’ department or faculty. Private
institutions of learning do not make this a compulsory subject for their students and do
not push their students to take them. These courses are offered in public universities in
order to give room for students to not only expand their knowledge and versatility but

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also to improve their marketability as well as tender to their interests. These of course
will not be available to students who choose to pursue their education in private
institutions of higher learning.

Another reason students tend to turn to private institutes of higher learning is

because these private institutions of higher learning maximize their offers of degrees in
glamorous, high paying jobs. In public universities, there are seat limitations where the
universities only open a fixed amount of places for a certain course each year/term, but
in private institutions of higher learning, popular courses or courses with high demand
are given foremost importance and are always the first courses to be offered. They offer
degree programmes that lead or at least appear to lead towards high-paying jobs. By
attending private institutions of higher learning, the students find that they can pursue a
degree in a field that they want to. Unfortunately though this also causes a flood of
manpower in certain areas and hence tends to render their degree useless as the
government sector almost always takes in the public university graduates as well as the
graduates they have sponsored before considering graduates from private institutes of
higher learning for the jobs they offer and to a certain extent the same goes to the
private sector.

The public also flock to private institutes of learning because of the methods they
use in these institutions. Often, we see that students who attend these institutions are
those who have trouble adapting to the traditional or conventional way of learning.
These are usually the mediocre or poor students who have prior learning experiences
which were unsuccessful or unrewarding to them. Yes, we do have to concede that our
national education system is not balanced regardless of the education ministry’s
philosophy of creating holistic individuals but we also have to take into account that our
school system is so very exam orientated that it allows minimal room for its students to
explore and find their niche of their own accord. In keeping with the needs of the other
half of the public who don’t respond well to the traditional way of learning, these private
institutes of higher learning have adapted various ways of enhancing the teaching and
learning experience of its students.

Aggressive marketing also contributes to why the public flock to private institutes
of higher learning. The aggressive marketing ensures that the public know of the
existence of these private institutes and therefore go through life with the realization that
there are safety nets to catch them if they do not make the cut into public universities.
Agreed, that the existence of these private institutions of higher learning are to cater to
those who are not able to garner a place into public universities but it also provokes us
to question whether if without these private institutions our students will strive to work
harder to ensure a place in the public universities.

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Quality of Students Who Are in Private Institutions of Higher Learning

It has been discussed that the reason private institutes of higher learning were
allowed and granted the ability to offer degree programmes was to help bridge the
widening gap between those with post-secondary education and those without it. The
question is whether those absorbed into private institutes of higher learning are fully
qualified to pursue these degrees they first apply for and later accepted into. In terms of
entrance into the public university, a system is put into place where the students are
given eight choices of the course they want to pursue along with the university they
want to pursue it in. they will later be selected according to their qualifications on
whether or not they fit the requirements of both the course as well as the university by
both the computer system as well as the elected board. This way, there is a certain
quality control in terms of who does what course and whether or not they deserve a
place doing what they are doing.

Below is an excerpt from the form stating the minimum requirements a student
needs to fulfill when applying into a medical or dentistry course in a private institute of
higher learning (http://www.etawau.com/edu/Department/Private_higher_education.htm ):

Three (3) Principal C at the STPM level or any equivalent qualification that is
acknowledged by the Malaysian government or a CGPA of 3.00 for Medicine and
Dentistry. SPM school leavers who wish to pursue their studies at first degree levels in
areas except Medicine and Dentistry through a foundation or matriculation programme
must have a minimum requirements of five (5) credits. Students who wish to pursue
their studies through this channel in the field of Medicine and Dentistry must have a
minimum qualification of five (5) credits with at least 4B in their Science and
Mathematics.

The general entry requirement to pursue Diploma programmes is SPM or GCSE O

Level with a minimum of 3 credits, whereas students with STPM qualifications or its
equivalent such as GCE A Levels, University Foundation Programme, SAM, and CPU
are allowed to enter Year 1 of an undergraduate programme.(private institutions)

From the above excerpt, we can safely state that as long as a student fulfills that
requirement, they would be assured a place to pursue a degree in medicine or dentistry.
Such is not the case when a person intends to pursue a degree of the same field in a
public university. In public universities, one is required to acquire a CGPA of 3.75-4.0 to
pursue medicine where chances are pretty slim if the student only acquires a CGPA of
3.75 where as for dentistry one should at least acquire a CGPA of 3.75 and that itself
will would be cutting it pretty close. This is also the case when applying for other equally
high demand courses like engineering and law. These requirements may seem near

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impossible on the outset but it should be understood that the public universities want to
ensure a certain quality is lived up to when producing its graduates in such crucial fields
where it is a matter of life and death.

The second excerpt shows alternatives routes for school leavers to pursue an
education in private institutions of higher learning. While commendable, these institutes
also cost a lot of money and therefore the really good and reliable private institutes of
higher learning are quite not as accessible as those that are not as commendable or
recognized. To compare and contrast the fees of these private institutions, one just has
to get a hold of the prospectus of these private institutes of higher learning and the table
of fees that a public university comes out with to realize the difference in currency that
one has to dole out in order to get a degree. This of course is unavoidable as the
overhead of private institutions are not subsidized by the government. Yet, it is shocking
to observe the shortcuts these private institutes of higher learning are wiling to take in
order to cut costs. If you so much as browse the classifieds sections of the newspapers
and see the advertisements put out by these institutions to employ their faculty
members, it is no where in par with the qualifications needed required by the public
universities when employing their faculty members.

Though there are many reputable private institutions of higher learning, there are
also lesser ones which provide questionable service. Some of these institutions lack
proper faculty members and learning resources like fully equipped libraries for example.
Their faculty members posses merely bachelor degrees with small numbers of masters
and even fewer of them possessing doctorates in their specified fields. In public
universities however, faculty members are reuired to at least have a masters degree
upon being offered a junior lecturers post besides showing proof that they are currently
(at the point of employment) pursuing their doctorate degrees in their related fields. In
fact, as a new ruling in many public universities, lecturers without doctorate degrees are
required to pursue a doctorate degree and complete it with in a certain amount of time
or run the risk of either being demoted or transferred to public learning institutions of
lower grade. Agreed this does not determine the members of the faculty to be the best
instructors but it definitely ensures that their expectations of their students to be higher
and ensures that most of them are knowledgeable enough to cater to the students’
inquisitive nature as well as be of better help to students in terms of providing them with
best alternatives when addressing either an issue in class or tackling the best possible
way to solve a problem pertaining to their studies.

This has caused future employers to be reluctant to employ students from private
institutions into their establishment as the their quality cannot be assured. This also
involves these students to fork out additional money to ensure they have the needed
credibility. These students, after graduating from the private institutions of higher
learning, tend to take up additional courses and even have to take extra examinations to

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prove their worthiness to their prospective employers. This again needs them to fork
out cash which just goes to prove that financial security is first needed by those
pursuing degrees in private institutions of higher learning, proving this papers’
contention that to get a workable degree from any private institute of higher learning one
has to have in hand first, not academic excellence but financial security.

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The Issue of Accreditation of Private Institutes of Higher Learning

Before concluding, it is important to look into our past where some of our
Malaysian students as well as their parents were dealt with the blow where the private
university they were attending accreditation was revoked. The university in question is
the Crimea State Medical University. In the 3 rd of July 2005 issue of the Star newspaper,
it was reported that the government of Malaysia had revoked their accreditation and
recognition given to the Crimea State Medical University. They further placated the
public by saying that those already undergoing their degree in that university will have to
undergo an examination set by the medical board of Malaysia and those in their first or
foundation year in the university were asked to return to Malaysia where they will be
compensated with 50 percent of the fees they had already paid. This of course
nevertheless caused uproar.

It is important for us to understand the reason for this incident. Firstly, it was
found that a number of students pursuing their studies lacked the needed level of
English proficiency. It is not made clear exactly why or how this students were taken
into the degree programme in the first place but the easiest conclusion we can make
from this is that they were money involved as it is usually the case when something
needs to be overlooked. Also, it is quite mind boggling as when pursuing a degree in
this university, the students are required to pass a Russian language exam. It is
questionable as to how a student with low proficiency in English would perform in this
test as it is presumed that the medium of instruction would probably be in English at first
before eventually being in Russian. Also, if basic English language proficiency is not
achieved, how would a student begin to understand the medical jargon expected of
him/her?

It was also found that art stream students were being admitted to do medicine in
addition to students who failed certain subjects in their SPM examinations, claiming that
the grade 9G was the highest grade to be achieved in the Malaysian examination
system. It was later found out that they had paid the agents to falsify reports in order for
them to garner admittance into the university. This further proves the influence of
financial security when pursuing an education in the private sector.

It is saddening to think that because a certain number of students with the

financial means garnered an education in private institutions which are willing to turn a
blind eye, students who really worked hard to pursue a degree in these institutions are
also punished when the government gets wind of the real situation in these private
institutions of higher learning. Drastic steps indeed need to be taken to prevent this from
happening time and again.

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Conclusion

Education is indeed a privilege. It should be reserved for those really truly

deserving and not just handed out as a novelty item to whom ever can pay the price for
it. Education is slowly losing its value in the eyes of the community, if not evident then,
slowly but stealthily. If you can just pay money to gain a degree, then why put your heart
and soul to it? If it easily available to those with sufficient money to fork out for it, then
why push students towards academic excellence? It is not the intention to attack all
private institutes of higher learning or to attack all who choose to attend private
institutions of higher learning but rather to instigate us to think about the matter where
the equation is, got money = education will be given. Yes, there is no denying that top
institutions in this country only accept students who are truly deserving, but there are
also private institutions who are all out to make as much as money as they can and
hence do not keep the quality of students they take into consideration.

Private institutions of learning are very important so as to ensure the growing

demands of truly deserving school leavers are met, but they should be a tighter control
over who gets an education based on merit. Also, the government should not just close
an eye when certain private institutions of higher learning garner accreditation by
offering to place JPA scholars in their institutions but rather really look into their quality
of education they are providing. There should be a body to police the type of students
these institutions enroll in their intake as well as ensure the faculty members of said
institutions are of top notch quality.

In conclusion, education should not be turned into yet another economic

revenue. The nobility of it should be upheld to ensure it is not looked down upon as yet
another item to be purchased. An education should not have a price tag, yes it involves
money to ensure that it is in running order for the institutions that offer it, but its quality
should be of the utmost importance. This is to ensure that no one looks down upon it.

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References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_universities_in_Malaysia

Howard-Vital, Michelle, (Jan-Feb 2006) The Appeal of For-Profit Institutions,:Change

New Rochelle, pg. 64-67.

www.aliran.com/oldsite/monthly/2002/5b.html (article by Molly Lee entitled Education in

crisis)

The Star, 3rd July 2005: The Accreditation Status of Crimea State Medical University.

Quality Assurance in Education Vol. 17, No. 2, 2009; pp118-139.

http://www.fsktm.um.edu.my/web/bukuPanduan/BI/minimum_entry_requirements_to_pihe.pdf

http://www.etawau.com/edu/Department/Private_higher_education.htm

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