Education in Malaysia - The Cornerstone of National Development

Education in Malaysia - The Cornerstone of National Development 

Southeast Asia is experiencing a groundswell of economic growth as the world adjusts to a change in international economic power from west to east. In Malaysia where national identity is strongly rooted in convention, the country still has adopted cultural diversity and western-style modernization. 

The Malaysian government has embarked on an ambitious program of technological development and instructional reform as a federal priority. The challenges which Malaysians face along with the ambitions they hold aren't unlike those of the neighbors in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and elsewhere. The forces of tradition and modernity and of civilization and faith collide and divide and morph to form the future of the dynamic region like the huge tectonic plates upon which these countries break.

Malaysia's developmental efforts have necessitated long analysis, policy making, implementation and governance. Leaders in both the private and public businesses have made critical decisions at the top, while a mobilized populace sustains the attempt of rapid development through its labor and capital. To make sure that the source of skilled manpower can be found at the scale necessary to realize its national potential, the Malaysian government has mandated the modernization of its educational system as a foundation of its national program.

The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) hailed the "Strategic Plan for Higher Education: Laying the Foundation Beyond 2020" as its coverage of instructional reform and modernization. MOHE has set as its top priorities that the transformation of Malaysia to a middle of educational excellence as well as the internationalization of higher education. For this end, overseas students have been actively recruited from abroad to enter Malaysian colleges and universities. The Ministry set a objective of 100,000 international students as its enrollment goal for 2010.

To adapt the majority of the student influx, the Malaysian government is looking to private associations to increase their enrollment capability. There are many notable private colleges and universities in Malaysia that have risen to prominence since the 1970s. The biggest have several campuses across the country, and several have partnered with overseas universities to enhance their own reach and award internationally recognized levels to students completing the majority of their studies within Malaysia. With the price of residing at comfortable levels, these partnership agreements called 'twinning' programs offer local students considerable cost savings. Malaysian private universities and colleges give good value to local and worldwide students alike.

Malaysia's modernization efforts and the expanding role of schooling are being closely monitored and studied. Despite recent setbacks in the world market and uncertainty over the economic future, prospects remain encouraging. In addition to China and India and its Southeast Asian counterparts, Malaysia confronts a sense of urgency to keep pace with its planned developmental course all the while maintaining a grasp of its cultural heritage and national identity.