Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 Paves the Way for Transformation in Higher Education

On 7 April, 2015 Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak launched the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education).

The blueprint outlines 10 shifts which include :-

1. Holistic Entrepreneurial and Balanced Graduates;
2. Talent Excellence;
3. Nation of Lifelong Learners; 
4. Quality Technical ,Vocational, Education and Training (TVET) Graduates;
5. Financial Sustainability;
6. Empowered Governance;
7. Innovation Ecosystem;
8. Global Prominence;
9. Global Internet Learning;
10. Transformed Higher Education Delivery.

These shifts are based on the foundations of MEB-HE’s five aspirations, that is, to improve:

• Access - availability of higher education to relevant population, as measured by entrance rates;
• Quality - Education that is excellent by international standards and makes Malaysia a destination for students from other countries;
• Equity - Excellent outcomes regardless of geography, gender, or socioeconomic background;
• Unity - Understanding, appreciation and acceptance of diversity through shared experiences and aspirations; and
• Efficiency - A system that maximises outcomes with current budget.

Each of the 10 shifts covers three or four key strategies designed to carry out the blueprint objectives – specific initiatives have been identified for each strategy in the blueprint. From more than 60 total initiatives, nine have been prioritised for 2015:

1. New funding formulae for Public HLIs
2. Develop best practice framework for HLI governance
3. Improve productivity and cost efficiency of HLIs
4. Incentivise creation of endowment funds
5. Enable HLIs to implement multi-track schemes
6. Standardise financial reporting across HLIs for greater transparency
7. Refine new performance contracts for HLIs
8. Launch MOOCs in subjects of distinctiveness for Malaysia
9. Enable industry-led TVET curriculum design via partnerships

The process of formulating the blueprint involved 100 stakeholder groups with more than 10,500 participants who took part in discussions, a national survey, town hall sessions, focus groups, and workshops among others.

Through stakeholder engagement sessions, five areas of concern emerged. These were: relationship with industry, including curriculum design and delivery, research and development, and funding; autonomy and financial sustainability of higher learning institutions, as well as financial accessibility for students; quality of higher learning institutions, including rankings; quality of graduates, such as communication skills and English proficiency; and ability to successfully implement the strategies and initiatives developed.

The student attributes that MEB-HE hopes to achieve for its university graduates are ethics and spirituality; leadership skills; national identity; language proficiency; thinking skills; and knowledge.

It is also hoped that MEB-HE will generate major shifts in the way the Education Ministry operates. Some of these aspirations include producing job creators who are balanced citizens with an entrepreneurial mindset (instead of job seekers).

Next, the focus on university education will be changed to give equal focus on academic and TVET pathways. In addition, higher education institutions can expect more autonomy; an increase in shared responsibility for education resources among its stakeholders; and more technology-enabled innovations to deliver and tailor education for all students.