Skills inculcation gets top billing in Malaysia
 

by Chandani Jayatilleke

Malaysia has identified Sri Lanka as a 'priority market for education' in its endeavour of reaching a target of 100,000 foreign students by 2010.

"We expect a lot of students from Sri Lanka," said R. Kabilan, Director, Winning Magnitude, an institution which is promoting Malaysian Education.

To encourage more students, Malaysia would also offer discounts and scholarships to Sri Lankan students.

For those who have financial problems, we offer scholarships, depending on their case, he said. Malaysia has Government universities where the syllabus is mainly taught in the native language and also many foreign private universities.

"However, we have a 5 per cent quota for foreign students in Government universities.

"But the Government has encouraged private universities from the US, UK and Australia to set up their branches or affiliated universities in Malaysia, in a bid to make it the hub of education in Asia," he said.

Following this concept, many foreign universities have set up education institutions on their soil. All these universities should fall in line with the standards set by the National Accreditation Board of Malaysia.

Twelve major universities in Malaysia took part in the annual Malaysian Education Fair which was held in Colombo recently. It was organised by Winning Magnitude of Malaysia and Aspirations Education Pvt. Ltd. in Colombo.

Many aspiring students and their parents visited the Fair at the Galadari Hotel in order to gather as much information about Malaysian universities as possible.

Speaking to the Daily News, Kabilan said that all the universities have hostel facilities and the students will not find any issues with their accommodation.

By choosing a university in Malaysia, the students can also reduce the cost by half - than a university in the UK or USA.

Referring to education principles, Kabilan said Malaysia has been able to improve its education standards with the support of its private sector over the last couple of decades. Large industrial and service organisations have come forward to provide all university students the required job training facilities.

The Government emphasises this practical training as compulsory.

Accordingly, while in the University, each student gets an opportunity to gain valuable job experience which in turn will be a great resource in finding an employment. The Government also spends a lot of money to develop education infrastructure.

"We develop entrepreneurship among university students. We encourage them to improve their own skills, besides entrepreneurship talent," Kabilan said adding that "This is one of the secrets of the successful education system in Malaysia," he said.

"Our universities produce complete graduates who are capable of putting their knowledge into practice. These graduates also have the chance of pursuing their careers in Malaysia.

But we like them to go back to their own countries or to find employment in other developed nations, so that they get vast exposure internationally," Kabilan said.

In addition, the students have the option of working during their holidays. Some of the other plus points for Lankan students would be the similar climate, culture, food and the easy access to Malaysia. Currently, the most number of foreign students in Malaysia are from Indonesia, the Maldives, India, Sri Lanka and Mauritius.

Among the futuristic courses are the bio-technology and Business Information Systems, and any other course with a flavour of IT, according to Kabilan.

The students also have the option of learning one-year in UK or the US. Kabilan advocated that prior to choosing a foreign country for studies, the students should look into the facts such as cost, opportunities and the political stability of the country to avoid disappointment.

He said that Sri Lanka is a growing market for Malaysian education sector.

"At present we have over 600 Sri Lankan students. But the numbers are improving greatly. In 2001 we had only 200 Sri Lankan students," he said.

Grace Wong, Acting Principal of Institut Putra, which offers degrees from the Troy University of the US said that their students are recognised as Troy students. "The only difference is they are studying in a different location - outside the US. But the syllabus and all the educational activities are the same," she said.

She added that the students could also study in the US for one-year during the course of the study. Malaysian High Commissioner, Nazirah Hussain said that she hoped many Sri Lankan students would be able to pursue their higher studies in Malaysia with the increased number of scholarships on offer.

She also requested the university authorities to provide more opportunities and placements to Sri Lankan students in the future.