We don't need extra year at Private U

Private U

No to extra study year, say private institutions

Private institutions of higher learning did not agree with the Government’s proposal to extend the duration of degree programmes from three years to four. The extra year would increase cost and make it less attractive for students, especially foreigners, to enrol in private institutions, according to feedback from several private college operators.

In speaking out against the proposal, they said their degree programmes should not be lengthened as their graduates were employable and “not lacking in soft skills”.

They were commenting on Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s statement on Sunday that private higher learning institutions might have to follow public universities in extending bachelor degree programmes from three to four years.

Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities (Mapcu) deputy president Dr Parmjit Singh said private institutions would implement the decision if it was made on “good academic” grounds. “It might make gaining a degree from a reputable institution too expensive. Prospective students might decide to go for a cheaper alternative such as distance learning, for which the quality of some providers are questionable,” he added.

Dr Parmjit Singh, who is also Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology managing director (APIIT), added that soft skills were already embedded in the curriculum and students in private institutions did not need more time to learn these skills separately.

Sunway University College executive director Elizabeth Lee said private institutions complemented the role of public universities in providing higher education. “Private institutions contribute greatly to attracting international students, working towards helping achieve national aspirations to become a regional centre of educational excellence. “We also provide for local students who may not be able to be accommodated in public institutions for a host of reasons.” She added that private colleges did not see the need to lengthen their programmes as their graduates were “employable”. “They do not lack soft skills such as good English and the ability to communicate effectively. The majority are able to cope with the workload and can complete their degrees within three years.”

University College Sedaya International vice-president (academic) Kit Chin said that lengthening the time taken to complete a degree programme would not necessarily result in “better quality” graduates. “The international benchmark is three years as practised in Australia and New Zealand. If Malaysia wants to attract international students, it is important that we follow this.”


COMMENTS:

I did somehow agree with the comments from these private operators. Various surveys conducted had shown that graduates from private colleges and universities are much preferred as compared to public university graduates, primarily due to the fact that the standards of English communication is higher, and the attitudes of these graduates are far more convincing.

This can be attributed to the fact that those from the private colleges knew how their parents struggled to pay for their education and they also understand the competitive needs of the industries. Apart from these, they are not pampered like those from the public U, and the standards of lectures, enormous assignments, dissertations and examinations conducted are more tougher. Basically, their quality are in compliance with international standards, comparable with institutions from Australia, Britain, and USA.

To industry players, they knew the difference between metriculations and STPM. They knew the standards and quality of the lecturers between private and public U. This is not contempt or a show of disrespect to our universities; it is pragmatism ... the reality of the situation.

I had one son studying in public U and another in private U. You can see the differences in their homeworks, discussions, and in particular, critical thinking. The one from the private U, he is so busy everyday because of the amount of research he had to do and the amount of projects to complete for each semester. The son from public U, he is fine, relax and hardworking but his homework and research can be done in 2 days or maximum, within a week. And he told me of his lecturers .... no comment or ask Marina Mahathir to comment[period].

Read with Marina had to say about them here: Let Them Speak

The problem is within public U system, and they had to play catch up. If they are slow and snail-pacing, don't call on others to slowdown too. The private U are not within their continuum. I agree that public U should be 4 years for a degree; there is no need for private U as they gave quality hours of lectures and their results are miles ahead of public U.

Of course, many students in public U work much harder than officially required by the Uni. because they knew the competitive environment of the marketplace, and they do not want to be leftout of the corporate community. These students knew they are not competing with their own collegemates - for they are irrelevant - they are going to deal with the industry, their future employers, and they had to acquire the needed knowledge and competencies to stay relevant.

But these group, they form only 10% of the whole. The rest, they are gone case .... maybe, they can seek government services and work for ministers, distributing APs, and probably, climb on the back of UMNO camels, parading the NEP Agenda and crying for more handouts, or climb on Samy Vellu's bandwagon while parading at Maxis and Westport; or a few chinese might want to consider what Ong Ka Ting can offer in MCA officeboy jobs or to carry his balls. The rest of the leftovers can go to the Labour Department and register themselves, maybe as firemens.....