Student-led Heya engages politicians in push for higher education reforms

 

The Higher Education Malaysia Association has youths and politicians working together to advocate for reforms in the higher education sector.

PETALING JAYA: A new student-led movement has been gaining traction of late, seeking to engage both youths and seasoned politicians in advocating for reforms in the higher education sector.

The group at the core of it, the Higher Education Malaysia Association (Heya), has its sights set on enabling the creation of a robust governance system for higher education institutions through legislative reforms.

It believes this will lead to varsities being governed independently, inclusively and professionally while enabling them to be academic- and development-driven in their management.

These reforms will also put students in a non-partisan academic ecosystem.

To this end, it has drawn up its own Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (Auku) Reform Blueprint following extensive consultations with various universities, youth groups and even the youth and sports ministry.

Over 16 politicians from eight different parties across the political divide are also involved in closed-door engagements with Heya and were presented the group’s Auku blueprint.

The elected representatives have welcomed the blueprint, with some describing it as necessary for Malaysia since education is one of the core pillars of the country which needs structural and institutional reforms.

With the younger generation getting more drawn to politics, they agree that there is a need for Auku to be reformed to allow students to be even more involved.

“I believe that the economy and students’ surroundings are also why they’re not fighting to participate in politics. A lot of them are tied to student loans and are expected to achieve certain things by their parents and community.

“I believe some of them will think twice before fighting for their rights and going against the university or the government,” said one of the politicians involved in the engagement sessions.

Among Heya’s proposals is diversifying the source of appointments in the top management of varsities so as to restrict the power of the higher education minister to interfere in the institutions’ governance and operations.

Its goal is also to create a transparent and accountable environment within a university’s governance and operations, while synchronising the varsity’s development and education policies.

To ensure academic freedom and give higher education institutions more autonomy, it has proposed that a new professional body be formed under the Houses of Parliament Act 1952.

This, it said, will create a “power distance” between the higher education minister and university boards to allow for non-partisan proposals. This body would also have an advisory board to the minister comprising academics.

Heya has also mooted doing away with mandatory consultations with faculty staff for the appointment of deans, suggesting that faculty academics instead be required to nominate their own candidates for the top post. - FMT