KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today launched the Malaysian Education Blueprint (Higher Education), aimed at preparing the country's tertiary education system to meet the challenges of the future.
Najib said the higher education system's overarching goal was to achieve three main targets, dubbed the three Bs: Bakat (talent), Benchmarking to global standards , and Balance.
The system, he said, must be able to generate talent in order to be globally competitive.
"In order to do that, we must monitor our performance against international benchmarks.
"We want to be among the top third in the world in higher education - that is our target," he said while launching the blueprint at Royale Chulan Hotel here.
He said Malaysia's graduates must be well-rounded, balanced individuals who can use their knowledge and intelligence for the greater good.
"They must be instilled with positive traits, so that they do not misuse their knowledge, for example, in the making of bombs," he said.
The blueprint, he said, was also aimed at ensuring greater autonomy for universities.
Najib stressed that the government's biggest challenge will be implementing the blueprint's recommendations.
"It's all about the execution, execution, execution," he said.
Present were Media Prima Bhd chairman Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar, Khazanah Nasional Bhd managing director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, and AirAsia Group chief executive Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.