Monday, 5 May 2014

Week 7 : Changing Student Demographic

The landscape of higher education in Malaysia is changing rapidly with the growing variety of higher education institutions, the cultural environment and the competitive ecosystem. It bring to the change of demographic and trends of enrolment in higher institution here.

Initiative through the democratization of education policy to give more opportunity for further studies

The announcement of Vision 2020 in early 1991 by the fourth Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad put education as an investment that is very important in determining the direction of the country in the future. 

Becoming an international hub.
Malaysia’s National Higher Education Action Plan (2007-2010) has identified the need for an international vigour to foster a conducive learning environment for all tertiary students. Realising this need, various measures have been undertaken to further promote Malaysia as a regional centre in selected cities worldwide and forging pioneering collaboration channels in international public and private institutions of higher learning. Between 2003 and 2008, there was an increase 50.4% of the enrolment of international students studying in these institutions in Malaysia form 30,000 in 2003 to more than 70,000 in 2008. This increase is consistent with the increase in the number of setting up foreign university campus in Malaysia. A number of foreign universities countries that have opened branch campuses in Malaysia are the University Monash University, Swinburne and Curtin University of Australia and the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. The new objective is now to reach 200,000 foreign students by 2020.This aims, obviously changing the demographic of the students in the higher education in Malaysia.
Another one reason will be the introduction of educational tourism with great potential as a new market segment in Malaysia’s economic agenda. Political stability and encouraging economic growth is fundamental in realizing Malaysia as a leading educational travel hub in the Asia Pasific region in particular and the world in general.













Meritocracy
This policy was introduced in 2002 to replace the quota system for the selection of qualified candidates to the university. It gave an equal opportunities to students of various races based on students' ability to evaluate by 90 percent of academic marks and 10 percent of co-curriculum marks. Therefore, this policy gives a diversity to the ambiance of the university.

Lifelong Learning
The implementation of training programs, retraining, continuing education to the industry, private sector, professional groups and the community through the Centre For Continuing Education & Professional Development (CENFED) changing demographics of students in HE.


Funding Matter
The provision of the Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) succeeded in increasing enrolment at the university by almost nine times. Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said,'' Before PTPTN created, we only carrying 27,000 university students around the 1990s, if not get a scholarship sponsored by the parents who sacrifice everything for their children's education. However, once we create PTPTN, the total enrolment rose to 230,000 students per year once the original educational obligations of parents moved their children and even then they have to pay only after leaving the university,'' he said. This fund had provided opportunities for all levels of society to further their study in tertiary education.


The needs of qualification
There is a natural growth of the local student’s population. Malaysia’s economy is doing very well and employers have more and more needs for qualified staff. In Malaysia, the bachelor degree has become the minimum sesame to land a first skilled job. We can expect the students’ population to grow and moreover, we can expect that higher degrees will soon be more in demand. In 2015, the data of enrolment have been expected to be more than 10,000 students at the PhD and more than 30,000 at the Master level.

Some other factors that affect the  demographic changes are demand on future occupation (some job are not even exist now), the wider offer for Malaysian students and for international students in Malaysia from variety area of study and the changes of socio-economy of the population. The focus of the institution also affect the demographic of the students enroll, between female and male.


It is clear that the combination of access, quality assurance and funding established through legislation and national policy is a transformation that has changed the landscape of higher education at the time.

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