The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) is open to collaborating with and learning from other countries in redesigning Malaysia’s higher education system.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said establishing global connections in the sector is important to effect meaningful, beneficial and sustainable change within respective local communities. This is especially so as the nation prepares to face the challenges of the 4th Industrial Revolution.
“At the same time, Malaysia is home to more than 1.25 million students including 170,000 international students from over 150 nations which creates an imperative to nurture future-proof global talent,” he added.
Idris was speaking to the Press after the soft launch of Going Global, an annual international conference for leaders of higher and further education that serves as a platform to discuss key issues facing further and higher education. Held for the first time in the Asean region, the conference will be co-hosted by the British Council and MOHE in Kuala Lumpur from May 2 to 4.
Idris said the event themed Global Connections, Local Impact: Creating 21st Century Skills, Knowledge and Impact For Society-Wide Good is apt for the current Malaysian higher education scenario.
“Through this conference, we hope to improve education in Malaysia and work with other country participants, particularly in the areas of mobility and keep up with the latest trends in education.
“MOHE is proud to co-host Going Global 2018 with the British Council. We believe this synergy is indicative of the important collaborative nature required within the education space to raise the education ecosystem of the nation and the region to the next level.”
British Council Malaysia director Sarah Deverall said: “Malaysia is a natural choice of venue for this year’s Going Global with its strong worldwide connections, growing reputation as a regional education hub and one of the fastest growing economies in the world. We are proud to deliver this year’s conference with co-host MOHE, and the Asean Secretariat as supporting partner. This is a very fitting way to celebrate 70 years of continuous British Council presence in Malaysia.”
She added that Malaysia has a fantastic story to tell with its 10-year National Blueprint for Higher Education that aims to nurture talent, reinforce global standards and develop graduates for 21st century life, as well as a growing reputation as a higher education hub in the region.
“Asean recently realised a five-decade dream of bringing together its 10 member states to form an economic community, bringing social progress, stability and greater opportunity to the region. With 15 million students enrolled across the region, at the heart of this transformation is the role of tertiary education and the contribution to society and cultural understanding, economic growth and employability.
“And as a gateway to Asean, people are looking towards the conference in Kuala Lumpur to find out how the region is addressing the gaps between people with more opportunities and those with less in pursuing education.
“Everybody is at a different stage — where education redesigning is concerned — and things are changing so rapidly that we really don’t know whether we ready for the future. One of the features of this conference is the student voice — those still studying and newly
graduated who are wondering about the skills they will need for the future.”
Up to 150 expert speakers at Going Global 2018 will address how leaders and policy-makers can develop a well-understood role for institutions to meet the future needs of students, employers and communities, as well as the priorities needed to ensure national tertiary education is fit to shape societies of the future.
More than 800 education leaders, government ministers and chief executives from some 75 countries are expected to convene in Kuala Lumpur to attend the conference and fringe events.
Prior to the soft launch, MOHE and British Council hosted a panel discussion on Redesigning Education moderated by Datuk Hamidah Naziadin, group chief people officer of CIMB Group. Panellists included TalentCorp chief executive officer Shareen Shariza Abdul Ghani, Polytechnic and Community College Education director general Professor Datuk Dr Mohd Ismail Abd Aziz and Professor Charles Fine, the founding President and Dean of the Asia School of Business in Kuala Lumpur, a collaboration between the MIT Sloan School and Bank Negara Malaysia.