The recently concluded 14^th general election in Malaysia was considered a historical event in the country as Malaysians voted out the incumbent government, ending the ousted coalition’s six decades of ruling since the country’s independence. Malaysia has been plagued with scandalous news and corruption allegations over the past few years, causing wide-spread dissatisfaction among Malaysians. Malaysia’s fourth Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, made a comeback to the political scene and has now been installed as the nation’s seventh Prime Minister, vowing to restore the nation’s reputation and check and balances.

As a result of the change in government, the entire Malaysian cabinet line-up was changed. A new Education Minister, Dr Maszlee Malik – a Durham University alumnus – was installed to head the Ministry of Education. The single Ministry will be responsible for education matters both at the school at higher education level.

Malaysia has had single ministry looking after education until 2004 when a separate Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) was created. The MoHE was then disbanded in 2013 and revived again in 2015. Depending on how one look at it, a single ministry could translate to a more cohesive and streamlined management of the education matters in the country.

These are the policies related to education, some of which are still being considered:

• Revival of English as the language of instruction in the teaching of Science and Maths in national schools
• Focus on the development of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM)
• Continued development on the TVET sector, focusing on education quality and the creation of internships and job opportunities
• Recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) as an entry requirement to Malaysian public universities
• Reviewing scholarships offered by the government for higher education
• Re-looking at the policies of the national higher education fund loan (PTPTN) and increasing the repayment threshold

Besides the above, the Education Minister has also reassured that there will be a commitment to continue with the initiatives outlined in both the Malaysia Education Blueprint and Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint, but with periodic reviews on each initiative.

Commentary by Jennifer Wan

It is too early to comment if there will be any new directions in the Malaysian higher education sector as the new minster and his colleagues find their footing in office. Although there is an indication of a review in scholarships, this might likely be only applicable for those who want to continue their studies locally rather than abroad. In an analysis of the country’s debt levels, the new Minister of Finance has indicated that the previous government has left the nation in huge debts and the immediate focus would be to address this.

The possible increase of quality in the higher education sector, provision of academic autonomy to higher education institutions and acceptance of the UEC; amongst others; might encourage more Malaysians to stay back in-country to further their higher education. One of the key reason private institutions, TNE and overseas education is popular with Malaysians is the lack of confidence in the local education system. If the country's education system starts to improve, recruitment to the UK higher education sector might be impacted.

More updates on the changes in education policies will be posted as and when they are available. For more information on the Malaysia’s new government manifesto, refer to the link below.