THE higher education landscape is dynamic, demanding and at times it needs to face complex settings and circumstances.
Globalisation, internationalisation, the drive for quality, expectations surrounding new modes of teaching, rankings, the growing importance of research and innovation within the economic development agenda and above all the difficult economic environment have induced many reform processes in higher education.
Consolidation of higher education institutions (HEIs) is one of them.
The decision to consolidate institutions is never easy, but should be considered when there is a desire to significantly improve the quality of service of the institution and to gain continuous benefit for stakeholders.
Looking at different merging models in Norway, the United Kingdom and China; the fundamental reasons for a merger remain the same, which are to cater to growing demands from students and the increase in competition between institutions.
Merger of universities could be seen as a stepping stone to become a global reference centre in niche areas.
In the UK, the merger between the University of Manchester and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) has produced the largest university in the UK.
Logistics were also one factor that eased the merger between the two universities, which resulted in the merged university becoming one of the top universities in the world.
Both universities also benefited in terms of knowledge transfer and research income.
Another country that has instigated the merger of universities is Finland. The second largest university in Finland, Tampere University, is a result of the merger between The University of Tampere and the Tampere University of Technology.
A principal investigator of a major study of Finnish Higher Education, Goran Melin, viewed the merger as having long-term positive effects on Finnish research and this view was also shared by Liisa Laakso, former rector at the University of Tempere. She believed that the merger of the two universities brought new strengths to research and higher education in Finland.
Then there are the successful university mergers in Norway. The country has reduced the number of higher education institutions (HEI) from 33 in 2014 to 21 in 2018.
One example is the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), which resulted from the merger of four HEIs, the most extensive merger in Norway thus far.
It involved 42,000 students and 7,400 staff, and in a conference on structural university reforms of 2014-2018, held in NTNU this year, the merger was reported as a successful move.
Merger of universities is not only taking place in Western countries. Countries in Asia, such as China and Taiwan, have also done this.
In China, the merger has resulted in substantial outcomes in the transformation of the higher education system and according to Rui Yang, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, merger of universities will effectively establish a more comprehensive higher education governance system.
An example is Fudan University, which was a result of the merger between Shanghai Medical University and Fudan University in April 2000. The enrolments in its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes have improved. The merger also provided a more solid platform for Fudan University to realise its goal of becoming a world-class university.
Other than China, Taiwan also recently announced its plan to consolidate three universities — National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology and National Yunlin University of Science and Technology.
It is believed that the merger of these three universities will increase the new entity’s competitive edge and international visibility.
Looking at the success of the countries that have merged higher education institutions, the merger of universities in Malaysia will further improve the socioeconomic status of the population.
The merging of two or more universities could be seen as a mechanism to pool academic talent and infrastructure to increase quality and encourage interdisciplinary research in the institution.
It would be a good chance for the institution to streamline human resources, as well as other resources to achieve efficiency. It is also timely for the institution to strengthen its profile and reputation globally through the increase in size and by developing niche disciplines and international collaboration.
Hence, it is believed, by implementing the right model, the merger of universities in Malaysia will also yield positive outcomes for the university population, local community and also the country.
The writer is deputy director-
general, Department of Higher Education, Education Ministry