PUTRAJAYA: Starting next year, the Higher Education Ministry will reserve five per cent from the total government funding for public universities to focus on the sustainability of the country’s higher education system.
Its minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said public universities would receive 95 per cent of funds from the government while the remaining five percent would be given based on the institution’s performance.
“Currently, the government gives 100 per cent funding to 20 public universities which include tuition fees, other income, block grants and development.
“For the new funding formula, the government would hold five percent of the funding from input-based funding, which covers three percent, and performance-based funding which covers two per cent.
“This means that universities have to show an excellent performance to unlock the remaining five per cent. The new formula is to ensure that universities will not have to rely on government funding alone and that they have to increase their productivity and able to generate income,” he said after chairing the Putrajaya Higher Education Task Force meeting at the ministry’s headquarters, here today.
The universities’ performance would be evaluated based on their key performance indicator (KPI), the ability to be innovative and total number of student enrolment, among others.
The Higher Education Taskforce was formed to guide and accelerate the transformation of Malaysia’s higher education system, oversee delivery of Malaysia Education Blueprint 2012 – 2025, serve as forum for input and best practice sharing on higher education transformation and ensure decision-making on cross-ministry policies and implementation.
Its members include Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mary Yap, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar, Treasury Secretary-General Tan Sri Dr Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, and Education Ministry Secretary-General Tan Sri Dr Madinah Mohamad.
In the 2016 Budget, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had announced that RM13.378 billion has been allocated to the ministry, which was five per cent of the total budget, as compared with RM15.785 billion in last year's budget.