Students of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT) are distraught and caught in limbo following a continued delay in obtaining accreditation for eight of their courses.
However, in a statement issued yesterday, LUCT claimed that it was currently working together with the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) to obtain the previously revoked accreditations and that the issue is expected to be resolved by September.
In early May, Malaysiakini reported on a press conference held by the students, at which they claimed that numerous bachelor, MBA and PhD courses offered by LUCT do not have accreditation from the MQA and some other courses had their accreditation revoked.
The students claimed to be representing as many as 840 of their peers. They said they sent a letter to LUCT on April 12, demanding that LUCT achieves accreditation status for its courses prior to graduation, or otherwise, provide the graduates with compensation.
One of the two representatives then, Muhammad Ameer Fakhri Muhammad Shafiq, told Malaysiakini that LUCT had then requested that they be given until mid-May to resolve the issue.
“They had asked us to give them 30 days to resolve (the issue), which they failed to do so.
“They also failed to notify us (of any updates on the matter) upon the deadline they set for themselves,” Ameer said this week.
He said only discovered during the fourth semester of his cloud computing degree that the course he was undertaking was not accredited by MQA.
He claimed to have been persuaded to switch to cloud computing via credit transfer from his initial mobile computing course.
To his dismay, he was unable to find a job in the public sector following his graduation in 2019.
Accepted for a Master's degree at UKM
“Devastated, I moved on. I instead got accepted to pursue a Master's degree in social science at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia,” he said.
According to Ameer, among the eight courses affected were MBA in Project Management, Master of Science in Software Engineering, Master of Communications, MBA in Sports Management, MBA in Human Resources Management, MBA in Finance and Banking, MBA in Communication and Public Relations and PhD in Management.
This does not include Ameer’s programme, Bachelor of Cloud Computing Technology and other programmes that have previously been revoked and have yet to obtain accreditation.
Ameer’s former classmate, Amir, echoed his frustration at the inability to find a job in the public sector.
“I had previously been selected for an interview as an information officer at the Public Services Commission of Malaysia (SPA).
“However, due to incomplete documentation, which is the MQA course certificate, I was unable to get accepted into the programme,” Amir revealed.
He told Malaysiakini that he is about to sit for another examination with the SPA but doubts he will make it past the interview stage as the panellists usually review the applicants’ documentation, including an MQA certificate, which Amir does not possess.
Meanwhile, a current MBA in Project Management student at LUCT, Qistina (not her real name), only found out in April of this year that her course was unaccredited.
“I was informed by my classmate (of the non-accreditation), and I even checked the MQA website.
“I am really just in limbo right now. I have completed my degree and was told I would be graduating this month, but I do not know what to do (with the degree) knowing that my course is still unaccredited,” Qistine lamented
This is not the first time LUCT has had accreditation revoked from its programmes.
In addition to Ameer and Amir, Reenosha also faced complications with her programme during her time at LUCT in 2015.
The former student only discovered towards the end of the second semester that her Bachelor of Arts in Communications with Psychology degree had only a partial accreditation.
“I knew that it was a recently introduced course at LUCT, so I consulted many lecturers about whether or not it was a good idea to pursue it - which they said it was.
“Towards the end of my second semester, we were told that the MQA Board was coming to interview everyone from our course.
“It was only after asking a few lecturers that I found out that my course was only partially accredited for.
“Had I known this information before this, I would not have pursued this degree at all,” she said.
Reenosha further claimed that when she wanted to transfer to other universities after her second semester, LUCT did not release the documents she needed for the transfer unless she paid her third-semester fee in full, which amounted to RM21,000.
Amir and Ameer revealed to Malaysiakini that a report has been lodged with the MOHE (Higher Education Ministry) regarding LUTP’s accreditation issues but that they have yet to receive a reply from the ministry.
LUCT says it will resolve the issue by September
On Monday, LUCT issued a statement that claimed that they were working closely with MQA to resolve the accreditation issues related to the eight programmes that have had their accreditation revoked.
“We continue to work closely with MQA and have received feedback on the areas that we need to address, which are now focused on to meet their requirements.
“We have made progress in our endeavours, despite being hampered by the ongoing movement control order, and we expect to resolve this issue by September 2021,” LUCT governing council chairperson Raduan Che Rose said.
The statement also claimed that all students were advised to continue with their studies as the eight programmes affected were registered with the MOHE, therefore making the courses valid.
When contacted, Raduan expressed confidence that these programmes would receive full accreditation status again.
“It is an old issue actually. As it is now, we are still waiting for MQA to re-audit our programmes. The MQA will set the date, it is beyond us.
“As far as LUCT is concerned, I have already instructed the (university’s) Senate to fully address all issues such as the programme structure, quality and number of academic staff and infrastructure,” he added.
Asked why the accreditation was revoked in the first place, Raduan claimed that it was due to two reasons: academic resources (the number and areas of specialisation) and programme structure, which needed to be reviewed by academicians from outside of the university.
He assured Malaysiakini that LUCT has submitted all the necessary documents and is waiting on MQA to schedule an audit.
“Our role is just to submit documents, MQA will set the date and visit us (for their audit).
“During the pandemic and lockdown, there are so many things delayed, and that’s beyond our control,” he said.
Raduan declined to comment when asked if compensations were being provided for the students
Rafidah calls for action
Meanwhile, former international trade minister Rafidah Aziz has also spoken out on the issue and she called on the MOHE to ensure the quality of education received at educational institutions meets global standards.
“It is imperative that MOHE undertakes a proper evaluation of each and every entity in the education system, whether public or private and ensures that the appropriate follow-up action is taken,” she told news portal The Vibes.
Rafidah also said the nation will lose out if the supply of human resources that are graduating from educational institutions do not match market demands.
Malaysiakini is attempting to contact both the MQA and MOHE for further comments on the issue.
Separately, Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming revealed to Malaysiakini that he is currently in talks with the affected students to determine if this matter should be pursued further through legal channels.
The former deputy trade minister was previously served a letter of demand by LUCT for damages amounting to RM50 million over a tweet he wrote on a probe by the Sierra Leone Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) into a LUCT campus in that country.
Ong had declined to pay the damages, insisting that he was merely raising a matter of public interest.
Sierra Leone’s ACC ended the probe after confirming that the country’s former education, science and technology minister Minkailu Bah, since deceased, had enabled the campus to be set up without following due processes.
LUCT was founded in 1991 and named after its president Lim Kok Wing who passed away early last month at the age of 75. - Mkini
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