Restore dormant National Council on Higher Education, govt told

 

The Malaysian Academic Movement said the decline of higher education institutions was a consequence of government interference.

PETALING JAYA: An organisation representing academics has called on the government to restore the National Council on Higher Education (NCHE) as a policy-formulating body to reform the country’s higher education.

The NCHE has been dormant since 2011.

The Malaysian Academic Movement (Gerak) said the decline of higher education institutions, particularly public universities, was a consequence of government interference which exceeded the provisions of the law.

Putrajaya’s interference can be seen in the appointment of university vice-chancellors, board members and other officers in public universities.

“The NCHE is, therefore, a vital part of Malaysia’s national higher education system, particularly in relation to the powers of the minister,” its executive committee said in a statement.

It pointed out that the NCHE, which was established in 1996, had become inconsequential for more than a decade as the ministry had encroached into its policymaking preserve.

The ministry, it said, was meant to be a gatekeeper, approving and monitoring the establishment of higher education institutions. However, it added, the system had failed.

“It is our stand that NCHE needs to be restored and its power over matters concerning higher education needs to be recognised and increased.”

Gerak’s statement comes two days after the government announced it would be forming a committee to review the national higher education policy and tweak it according to the current realities. - FMT