QAA review states UK degrees in Malaysia meet both local employment needs and UK standards 

A press release issued by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) about the review conducted jointly with Malaysia Qualifications Agency (MQA) is a welcome statement on the quality of UK qualifications being delivered in Malaysia. The press release states that the UK TNE programmes on offer to students in Malaysia are relevant to the current employment needs and meet all requirements and expectations of the UK Quality Code for Higher Education.

While the review for UK TNE in Malaysia was undertaken before the current Covid-19 environment, the QAA are developing separate advice for UK TNE providers to maintain and uphold the quality standards; this will be published on the QAA website’s Covid-19 response page.

There are three parts of the review that QAA and MQA conducted for TNE in Malaysia:

1. The assessment of TNE in Malaysia: this is publicly available on the QAA website, alongside twelve institutional reviews of TNE providers in Malaysia.  
2. An in-depth country analysis, looking at key policy drivers, the Malaysian higher education landscape, the regulatory framework, and a broad look at the transnational education picture in country (this is available for members only).
3. QAA will be publishing TNE case studies from Malaysia for those members who have signed up for International Insights 

The text of the press release from QAA is shared below:

UK degrees in Malaysia meet both local employment needs and UK standards 

A review by the UK’s Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), working with the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), has found that UK degrees offered in Malaysia are generally both relevant to the local market and employment needs, and meet the expectations of the UK Quality Code for Higher Education.  

Malaysia is the second-largest host country for UK TNE, and UK degree-awarding bodies are the main TNE providers in the country as a whole, with over 50% of all non-local programmes leading to a UK degree.   

Vicki Stott, Executive Director of Operations, said: “This is really positive news for the sector, and highlights how UK TNE provision in Malaysia provides students with a high-quality experience. It’s been achieved through an investment in staff development; systems to enable the student voice to be heard and responded to; effective communication and partnership relations; and recognition of the local context. These qualities will support UK TNE provision as it moves into a post-pandemic world.” 

UK higher education in Malaysia is a success story for UK universities, for Malaysia as a country and, most importantly, for students taking UK degrees in the country. As the largest provider of non-local education, UK universities have shown that it is possible to deliver for Malaysian employment needs and meet the rigorous standards of the UK Quality Code. 

QAA’s review identified a number of themes for reflection – such as the inclusion of the student voice – across the branch campus, franchise, and validated dual awards provision.  

As higher education globally adjusts to the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining the UK’s commitment to high-quality transnational education is important in order to continue delivering for students. QAA is developing advice to support the sector’s response. 

Prabha Sundram, Head Education (Malaysia), of the British Council, said: “This review of UK Transnational Education (TNE) in Malaysia undertaken by the QAA provided an excellent platform to engage and collaborate with key stakeholders in the higher education and quality assurance sectors in Malaysia, and gather salient information on how quality and standards are maintained at every level of UK TNE delivery. The information in this comprehensive report provides valuable baseline data that needs to be jointly considered when analysing the post COVID-19 implications on UK TNE provision in Malaysia, and will subsequently aid us in co-creating mutually beneficial ways of supporting the TNE sector throughout this rapidly evolving situation, and beyond.” 

Khairul Salleh bin Mohamed Sahari, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Malaysian Qualifications Agency, said: “This engagement marks another significant milestone for the long-standing partnership between the two agencies in the area of external quality assurance of higher education since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding in 2012. Both agencies are fully committed to strategically work together towards enhancing the quality of higher education in Malaysia and the UK within respective legal mandates, quality assurance policies and frameworks”.   

As the UK’s quality experts, QAA has conducted over 45 country reviews of the UK’s transnational education. This successful review in Malaysia is the most recent example. Between October 2019 and January 2020, QAA, working together with UUK and GuildHE, carried out a joint consultation to help inform our future TNE work, Future Approaches to the External Quality Enhancement of UK Higher Education Transnational Education. Following publication of the results and analysis this year, there will be further consultation with the sector on the proposals arising from the survey.

For any inquiries please contact: Prabha Sundram, Head of Education at British Council Malaysia 

Prabha.Sundram@britishcouncil.org.my