19 public universities drop 38 ‘irrelevant’ programmes

The government wants to ensure that there are job opportunities for those who graduate. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: The education ministry has dropped 38 academic programmes in public universities it deems are no longer relevant with the times.

According to a Berita Harian report, Higher Education director-general Siti Hamisah Tapsir said her department needed to make sure all academic courses offered in public universities were relevant and that there were job opportunities for those who graduate.

With the country facing Industrial Revolution 4.0, she said there was a need for some academic programmes to be replaced with those needed by the industry.

Siti Hamisah said they have asked all universities to identify and reshape their academic programmes in line with the industry needs.

In total, 19 universities dropped two programmes each.

Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris dropped the sports psychology (Sports Science) and entrepreneur and trade (Education Technology) programmes, while Universiti Malaya no longer offers the product design (Mechanical Engineering) and environmental (Civil Engineering) degree programmes.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia dropped civil engineering and environmental (Engineering) and manufacturing engineering (Engineering), Universiti Putra Malaysia dropped the primary school education and water management degree programmes, and Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia dropped the education management and primary school Islamic education degree programmes.

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, which is in the process of merging with Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) dropped the philosophy and civilisation, and counselling degree programmes, while Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dropped the industry economics and telecommunications degree programmes.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah dropped the finance economics programme, along with the planning and development economics programme. Universiti Malaysia Perlis is no longer offering the fotonic engineering and computer network engineering programmes, and Universiti Malaysia Pahang has dropped the Bio-Process and Chemistry degree programmes.

Universiti Malaysia Kelantan will no longer offer degree programmes for animation and ludology, and telecommunications design.

Universiti Utara Malaysia has dropped the Islamic banking and technopreneur degree programmes. - FMT