Local higher education institutions (HEIs) are urged to take advantage of the accreditation issue in Indonesia and the housing problem in Australia to attract international students to continue their studies in this country. The Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), Prof Datuk Dr Mohammad Shatar Sabran, said in this context, local HEIs should always be ready to accept students, especially international students from these two countries. He said, with the internationally recognised quality of higher education, HEIs in Malaysia do not face any problems in terms of quality to offer their programmes to the relevant groups. "The situation in both countries provides a golden opportunity for us to continue promoting the country's higher education, especially to students who previously intended to continue their studies in Australia for us to entice them to Malaysia. "As the sole body that supervises and coordinates the quality assurance and accreditation of national higher education, MQA will use the quality of global quality higher education as a 'weapon' or main attraction for international students," he said. Recently, it was reported that 84 private universities in Indonesia are likely to be closed for failing to meet accreditation standards, according to the National Higher Education Accreditation Agency (BAN PT). The affected institutions involve several provinces in Indonesia, including West Java, Jakarta and Sumatra. In Australia, a serious housing shortage has hit the country where some people blame the government for the increase in the number of international students. Now, the crackdown on international students is causing widespread concern in the country's multibillion-dollar education industry. In the latest move by the Australian government to control the soaring migration record since the Covid-19 pandemic, the international student visa fee has more than doubled to A$1,600 (US$1,068) from A$710 effective July 1, and there is no refund if the student's application rejected.   Commenting further, Mohammad Shatar said, it is hoped that our HEIs can promote their respective programmes more aggressively. He said the initiative would attract more international students and further fulfill the wishes of the Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Seri Diraja Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir towards making Malaysia a global education hub. "What happened in Indonesia and Australia became something that attracted MQA's attention because we do not compromise on quality and always maintain the image of the country's higher education in the eyes of the world. "MQA always explores collaboration with foreign accreditation agencies, but the initiative needs to get the support of our HEIs by highlighting their respective education programmes," he said.
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Date of Input: 18/10/2024 | Updated: 31/10/2024 | aidawati