PRIVATE TERTIARY EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN MALAYSIA

Malaysia now has 20 public and 15 private universities, besides hundreds of private colleges. Private colleges began to emerge in Malaysia in the early 1980's. There are now almost 600 private higher learning institutions including 15 private universities in Malaysia. The most recent development amongst private colleges in the last decade was the introduction of twinning programmes where a local college enters into an arrangement with a foreign university and provides the first stage of degree course in this country, while the final part is taken at the university concerned overseas. In the late 1990s, following the amendment of the Education Act in 1995, and in the introduction of the new Private Higher Education Act 1996, several major corporations were licensed to run private universities including Multimedia University, Universiti Teknologi Petronas and Universiti Tenaga Malaysia. Two distance learning universities were also created, i.e. Universiti Tun Abdul Razak and the Open University of Malaysia.

Plans to strengthen private institutions of higher learning (IPTs) in Malaysia

The following articles on the status of private universities / institutions of higher learning in Malaysia were published in The Star of 4 October 2009, Malaysia's leading English newspaper. IPTs is the acronym for the Malaysian word for "institusi penggajian tinggi" which means private universities / institutions of higher learning in Malaysia. For further details or to view entire articles, click on the webpage links of the respective articles.

Under one roof
[EDUCATION 4-Oct-2009]
The rigorous efforts to strengthen private IPTs is part of the ministry’s agenda to improve the co-existence between public and private IPTs in Malaysia.

In pursuit of excellence
[EDUCATION 4-Oct-2009]
To cement Malaysia’s status as a global eduhub, plans are afoot to improve the nation’s higher education scene and the private sector is set to change in a big way.

Last chance saloon
[EDUCATION 4-Oct-2009]
Although the axe is already at the tree, the ministry will provide some grace time for underperforming private IPTs to buck up.

From the ground
[EDUCATION 4-Oct-2009]
Although the top brass of private IPTs were largely positive to the ministry’s proposed incentives, not all were as keen in acclimatising to the new requirements.

UM Library Open Day

The University of Malaya Library is organising its Open Day. Details are as follow:
Date: 8th October 2009 (Thursday)
Time: 9.00 am- 12.00 pm
Venue: University of Malaya Main Library, UM Main Campus in KL
Activities : Info Hunt Competition, Lucky Draw, Thursday Popcorn, Malay traditional games, 50% fines discount (9.00 am – 5.00 pm), Registrations of volunteers for disabled users, Library exhibition
Further details: Available from Client Services Division, University of Malaya Main Library, Email: bpp_perpustakaan@um.edu.my and Tel No.: +603-79567800

Effective Learning in the Digital Age

Undergraduate and postgraduate students of Higher Education institutes in Malaysia are invited to attend the Education and Innovation Study Skills Seminar to be held on Tuesday 29 September from 10 am to 12 noon in conjunction with Educate09 which will take place at Monash University Sunway campus.

An outline of the Education and Innovation Study Skills Seminar entitled From Information to Knowledge: Effective Learning in the Digital Age are as follows. “In a world saturated with information, with ever increasing choices about how to access information, and demands for rapid learning, effective strategies and approaches to learning are essential. Using practical activities, and drawing on a range of educational examples, this seminar will introduce students, and interested professionals, to key strategies for effective learning in today’s digital environment. The focus is on how to transform mere information into critical and practical knowledge and also deals with how to communicate ideas effectively. The seminar will be suitable to learners at tertiary level, including undergraduate and post-graduate students, as well as professionals interested in continuing learning beyond formal study.”

Further details of Educate09 can be accessed from URL www.monash.edu.my/eqi/Educate09.html.

Job Opportunities- Examination Attendants

Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur is seeking part-time examination attendants. The requirements are as follows:
Qualification: SRP / PMR
Age: Above 17 years
Period: October - November 2009
Rate: RM45 per day
Closing date: 30/09/2009
Those who are interested can obtain application forms from Human Resources Division. To apply, submit application form with academic certificates, passport-sized photo and contact telephone no. Former students, students & staff of Universiti Malaya cannot apply. For further info, please contact 03-7967 3474 / 3513 (Pn. Mazidah)

THE MAHATHIR SCIENCE AWARDEE LECTURE

The Presentation Ceremony of the Mahathir Science Award will be held on 28 September 2009 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Kuala Lumpur. The Presentation Ceremony will see the 2008 and 2009 awardees of the Mahathir Science Award receiving their medallion and certificate from SPB Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The details of the recipients are as follows:

(1) Awardee for the Year 2008
Professor Dr. Gurdev Singh Khush, Adjunct Professor, University of California for his outstanding contribution in Tropical Agriculture. This award is being conferred in recognition of his perseverance, leadership, commitment and revolutionary work in systematically directing and developing several rice varieties that have overwhelmingly contributed towards reducing global hunger.

(2) Awardee for the Year 2009
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)being awarded under the category of Tropical Natural Resources in recognition of its role in the development of the rubberwood furniture industry.

The awardees will deliver their Mahathir Science Awardee Lecture on 29 September 2009 at the Plenary Theatre, Level 3, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Kuala Lumpur. The details of the lecture are as follows:

Lecture I - Mahathir Science Awardee 2008
Title : 'How to overcome threats to global food security?'Date : 29 September 2009 (Tuesday)Time : 9.30 am - 10.50 am (Registration 8.30 am)

Lecture II - Mahathir Science Awardee 2009
Title : 'Rubberwood R&D: Creating Milestones for FRIM'Date : 29 September 2009 (Tuesday)Time : 11.00 am - 12.15 pm (Registration 8.30am/10.30 am)Free admission.

Prior registration required. Register by 15 September 2009.For more information, contact the Academy of Sciences Malaysia at 603-2694 9898 or log on to www.akademisains.gov.my.

Malaysian Universities Research Publications

University Malaya has regained its position as the Malaysian university with the most number of academic works published in the ISI Index journals. The number of publications for year 2009 in the table above is as 30 Aug 2009. The pure/natural sciences disciplines lead in the number of research publications in the ISI indexed journals. With regard to social sciences, the faculty of economics has the highest number of research publications, albeit with a much lower number as compared to the natural sciences, in the ISI indexed journals. Is it appropriate to use the ISI ranked journals as a measure for both social and natural sciences? Moreover, many leading journals from new and niche disciplines such as Knowledge Management are underrepresented in the ISI WoS. This is confirmed by a recent study by Serenko and Bontis (2009). The study found that none of the top 20 Knowledge Management and Intellectual Capital Journals are was indexed by WoS, as of July 2008.