CAPITALISING ON THE STRENGTHS OF INTERNATIONAL BRANCH CAMPUSES IN MALAYSIAN TRANSNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION LANDSCAPE
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Published:
Dec 31, 2020
Keywords:
transnational higher education, international branch campus, regional education hub, globalisation, Malaysia
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Abstract
Recently, the Malaysian government announced the possibility of establishing a Japanese university's branch campus in Malaysia. The most likely candidate for the first Japanese university to pave the way to Malaysia is Tsukuba University. It is part of the Look East Policy 2.0 revived by the previous Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir Mohamad. Before this, many universities from abroad have set up various forms of transnational higher education (TNHE) in Malaysia, including from countries such as Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States of America and China. The Malaysian Government in her Malaysian Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education) (Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2015) indicates that it intends to increase international students to 250,000 by 2025 to strengthen its position as an international higher education hub. Malaysia has acquired various strengths, opportunities and experience based on its past track record, which prove that this task is not monumental. This paper explores the strengths and opportunities that Malaysia has acquired and accumulated to enhance its capabilities as an international higher education hub to achieve the internationalisation goal by delineating the sustainability aspect of the transnational higher education plan in Malaysia. Malaysia, through the establishment of the IBCs, has identified various strengths involving TNHE. Those strengths include regional education hub, ability to attract a large pool of international students, capitalising on the power of the MQF, self-accreditation status given to TNHEs, cost advantage and education tourism potential.
Keywords: transnational higher education, international branch campus, regional education hub, globalisation, Malaysia
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Ahmad, S. Z., & Buchanan, F. R. (2017). Motivation factors in students decision to study at international branch campuses in Malaysia. Studies in Higher Education, 42(4), 651-668, doi: 10.1080/03075079.2015.1067604
Azam, A. (2006, September 20). Singapore discontinues JHU research initiative. The Johns Hopkins News-Letter. Retrieved May 29, 2019, from https://www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2006/09/singapore-discontinues-jhu-research-initiative-44730/
British Council. (2013). Going Global 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2017, from http://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/britishcouncil.uk2/files/the_shape_of_things_to_come_2.pdf
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Chin, Y. F. (2019). Malaysia: From hub to exporter of higher education and implications. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 10(2), 48-54.
Crace, A. (2018) Malaysia: Wollongong Uni acquires KDU. The PIE News. Retrieved Mac 30, 2020, from https://thepienews.com/news/malaysia-wollongong-uni-acquires-kdu/
Davies, D., Olsen, A., & Bohm, A. (2000). Transnational education: Providers, partners and policy: Challenges for Australian institutions offshore. Brisbane: IDP Education.
Dimaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. (1983). The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American Sociological Review, 48(2), 147–160.
Dowling-Hetherington, L. (2020). Transnational higher education and the factors influencing student decision-making: The experience of an Irish university. Journal of Studies in International Education, 24(3), 291-313. doi:10.1177/1028315319826320
Education Malaysia Global Services. (n.d.). Affordable tuition fees. Education Malaysia Global Services’s website. Retrieved August 1, 2017, from https://educationmalaysia.gov.my/why-malaysia/affordable-tuition-fees.html/
EduCity. (n.d.). Iskandar Investment. Retrieved September 28, 2019, from https://iskandarinvestment.com/educity/
Fuyuno, I. (2006, August 2). Singapore pulls plug on US collaboration. Nature. Retrieved May 29, 2019, from https://www.nature.com/articles/442493a
Garrett, R., Kinser, K, & Merola, R. (2016). International branch campuses: Trends and developments, 2016. The Observatory of Borderless Higher Education and C-BERT. Retrieved from http:// www.obhe.ac.uk/documents/download?id=1049
Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi. (various issues). Statistik pendidikan tinggi. Retrieved from https://www.moe.gov.my/en/muat-turun/laporan-dan-statistik/pendidikan-tinggi/buku-perangkaan
Knight, J. (Ed). (2014). International education hubs: Student, talent, knowledge-innovation models. Dordrecht: Springer.
Knight J. (2018). International education hubs. In P. Meusburger, M. Heffernan, & L. Suarsana (Eds.), Geographies of the university (pp. 637–655). Cham: Springer.
Lim, R. (2009, August 29). Malaysia ranked 11th most preferred study destination. The Star. Retrieved May 29, 2019, from https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2009/08/29/malaysia-ranked-11th-most-preferred-study-destination
LLM Guide. (2013, June 13). NYU@NUS LL.M. program ending in 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2019, from https://llm-guide.com/news/2013/06/nyunus-llm-program-ending-in-2014
Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). (2017). Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF) (second edition). Retrieved May 29, 2019, from http://www.mqa.gov.my/pv4/mqf.cfm
Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). (2018). Code of practice for programme accreditation (second edition). Retrieved May 29, 2019, from http://www2.mqa.gov.my/QAD/en/types2.cfm
Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). (n.d.). Self-accreditation, Malaysian Qualifications Agency. Retrieved May 29, 2019, from https://www2.mqa.gov.my/portal_swa/list_PPT_swa.cfm
Meyer, J. W., & Rowan, B. (1991). Institutionalized organizations: Formal structure as myth and ceremony. In W. W. Powell, & P. J. DiMaggio (Eds.), The new institutionalism in organizational analysis (pp. 41–62). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia. (2011). Internationalisation policy for higher education Malaysia 2011. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bambang_Sumintono/publication/233856897_Internationalisation_policy_for_higher_education_Malaysia_2011/links/0912f50c34d5c5ff5d000000/Internationalisation-policy-for-higher-education-Malaysia-2011.pdf
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Olds, K. (2007). Global assemblage: Singapore, Western universities, and the construction of a global education hub. World Development, 35(6), 959- 975.
Our story. (n.d.). Iskandar Investment. Retrieved September 28, 2019, from https://iskandarinvestment.com/the-company/
Parr, P. (2014, May 11). Students ‘positive’ about transnational HE despite high cost. Times Higher Education (THE). Retrieved August 1, 2017, from https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/students-positive-about-transnational-he-despite-high-cost/2013211.article
Redden, E. (2013, January 16). Debasing the Brand. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved May 29, 2019, from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/01/16/university-nevada-las-vegas-end-relationship-its-singaporean-partner
UK Department for Business Innovation & Skills. (2014, November). The value of transnational education to the UK. London: Department for Business Innovation and Skills. Retrieved August 1, 2017, from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/387910/bis-14-1202-the-value-of-transnational-education-to-the-uk.pdf
UNSW Asia to close. (2007, May 28). UNSW Sydney’s website. Retrieved May 29, 2019, from https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/unsw-asia-close
Tan, J. (2016). Singapore’s “Global Schoolhouse” aspirations. International Higher Education, 87, 9–10. https://doi.org/10.6017/ihe.2016.87.9501
Wilkins, S. (2016). Transnational higher education in the 21st century. Journal of Studies in International Education, 20(1), 3–7.
Yang, C. (2016, October 6). Ex-students sue NYU, calling its Tisch Asia “a scam”. The Straits Times. Retrieved May 29, 2019, from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/ex-students-sue-nyu-calling-its-tisch-asia-a-scam
Yung, A., & Sharma, Y. (2013, January 19). Demise of branch campuses exposes reliance on government subsidies. University World News. Retrieved May 29, 2019, from https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20130117151151289