LETTER | Problems with our higher education options

LETTER | As a parent, I worry about my child’s university education in the current unprecedented situation. The Ministry of Education should review higher education options to ensure that future generations of Malaysians receive adequate and affordable access to education.

Malaysian education has become an unequal terrain: tacit filters of race, religion and narrow secondary school and pre-university prerequisites restrict access to public universities. In terms of affordability, public universities are the preferred option for the average Malaysian candidate. 

But the irony now is that international students who pay higher fees get easier access to local public universities over local students who have to fight against all odds to secure a seat. Besides restrictive access, public universities’ unhealthy obsession with the rankings race is said to have further downgraded our undergraduate education.

Local private institutions have just one criterion – do you have the money to burn? In spite of switching to online courses since early 2020, local private institutions continue to impose very high fees, which are equivalent to branch campus fees of more established universities. 

Many of these degree programmes are unvetted degree courses with random and innumerable elective subjects on the basis that the institution wants to produce an “all-rounder”. But the degree programmes are untested with weak content and most of their instructors are part-time people so there should be questions about suitability and training. 

These details of their courses only become apparent after the candidate joins the course as institutions are hiding such information from potential student candidates. Many of these institutions also tout rankings, which is also worrying since they lack the infrastructure or the history of public universities. Overall, these institutions seem to exist as business models to milk every last ringgit of unsuspecting candidates.

Malaysians also have the option of branch campuses of foreign universities. Some of these campuses appear to be well run, with courses that have been tried and tested. Rankings do not seem to be an obsession. But the degree programmes are very expensive – saddling candidates and their families with immense loans. 

Both the branch campuses as well as the private institutions promote their scholarships; but again, these are only for those students with excellent grades. Average students with adequate grades cannot hope for these scholarships. And other discounts and benefits offered are much too little to make the fees affordable.

So, in this pandemic, Malaysians need to have some assurance of affordable education of quality. The Ministry of Education needs to do more to ensure that future generations are not deprived of this as the price to pay at that time may be too steep. 

I appeal to the government and to the ministry to ensure that our children’s higher education does not get forgotten or neglected.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.