"Malaysia iswell known for
its population
diversity andglobalised society.
It is a platformthat liberally
connects the east
and the west,
including religionsand cultures."
ProfessorAbdul RahmanOthman, DeputyDean (Academic
Affairs), Institutea/PostgraduateStudies, USM
SAMANTHA JOSEPH
ECONOMICS plays a prime pragmatic role when it comes to con
sidering graduate studies in Asia.With the Eurozone crisis affecting notonly the ability of many Europeangovernments to keeptheir economiesafloat, but also the purchasing powerof its individual citizens, it isno surprisethat students who wish to pursue theirstudies in Europeor other high-incomenations will find themselves in afinan
cial quandary.An article in Meld Magazine, a non
profit outfit that caters to international students in Melbourne, Australiapoints out the struggle of some European students who have been hit bythe Eurozone crisis. The devaluation
of currency hits those on scholarshipsespecially hard, impinging on theirday-to-day expenses. Nevertheless,while the value of the Euro and theUS dollar in the after effects of the
subprime mortgage crisis struggle tofind purchase, the cost of tuition andliving expenses have yet to come toa similar decrease, making the outfitan increasingly unattractive option tostudents.
This particularly affects the Asian market, where in previous timesfamilies would use the stepping stoneof overseas education to ensure thattheir children would be able to start a
new life in a developed nation throughfirst getting an education at a westernuniversity, and subsequently findingemployment and achieving citizenshipthere. Unfortunately the employmentmarkets of the USand UK,while recovering, has become an unpredictableplace for immigrant professionals, and
as yet can hardly sustain the numberof graduates they themselves produce.Meanwhile, the demand for specialistsand professionals are only burgeoningin Asia,along with the increasing interest in previously western-dominatedmarkets.
Tuition fees are another aspect thatAsia isable to best most other optionsavailable. As an example, a master'sdegree from the Univer-sity of Edinburgh busi-ness school can easilytally to RM79,232 forinternationa~ students,
not inclusive of livingcost that could easily goover RM3,000 a month.Their local studentsdon't fare much better,with their tuition fees
costing only RM17,000less, with the sameamount of living costs.On the other hand, amaster's degree fromthe National Universityof Singapore, a rankinguniversity in the TimesHigher Education lists,costs internationalstudents RM44,587,
and studyin~ an MBAat Thailand s private'Assumption Universitythat has its own on-campus mall willcost about RM40,865, and comeswitha lower cost of living.
The quality of education offered byAsian universities has also increased
significantly compared to even a decade ago, as the region becomes moredeveloped and recognises the importance of educating citizens and creating specialisations and nichesthrough
academic research.Institutions like the
University of Tokyo, the Hong KongUniversity of Science and Technology,and the Korea Advanced Institute of
Science and Technology have beenmaking waves as regional educationcompetencies increase overall. Whiledetractors may saythat most regionalhigher education institutes are goingnowhere fast in terms of research and
development attributes,it is best to keep in mindthat Asia as a whole is
still developing, and iscatching up to the developed world at a prodigious rate.
MALAYSIA CARVES HER
. NICHE: This development gold rush is oneof the reasons why theMalaysian governmenthas taken such a keen
interest in cultivatinghigher education onour home ground. Oneof the National KeyEconomic Areas (NKEAs)identified for Malaysia'sEconomic Transfor
mation Programme iseducation, as it is seento have potential as anengine that drives the
country's desire to lift itself out ofthe middle-income category and intothe high-income bracket. Grants andother forms of financial incentives
from both the government and corporate sector are helping to speed upthe establishment of Malaysia's ownacademic research and developmentniche.
While support is being given to
existing institutions, the environmentin Malaysia has also encouraged thecreation of many new private universities aswell aswelcomed the presenceof foreign branch campuses on localsoil. Currently there are over 600educational institutions in Malaysia,a number that includes public universities, private universities, universitycolleges and colleges, foreign branchcampuses,polytechnics and community colleges.The ministry hasalso madean effort to affect some form of unifor
mity with the international academicarena by scheduling the semesters tocoincide with those of the internatio
nal system."Malaysian higher education insti
tutions offer awide variety of postgraduate courses at competitive tuitionfees:' says Professor Abdul RahmanOthman, the Deputy Dean (AcademicAffairs), Institute of Postgraduate Studies, USM, touching on the fact thatMalaysia is a practical choice in termsof economics, quality and potential fordevelopment. "Malaysian academicswho supervise postgraduate studentsare graduates of internationally andlocally renowned universities, and arewell-versed in researchand publication.The institutions complement their academics with modern and up-to-datelaboratories, information technologyand communication systems, libraries, study and recreational spacesandfacilities. Most institutions also offer
affordable housing on campus:'At the same time, Malaysia is also
carving her own academic niches.Oneof the main points of academic focus isIslamic Studies, especially topics concerning Islamic finance. As Malaysia isgunning for the position of foremostglobal Islamic finance hub, the crea-
tion of the Malaysia Islamic FinancialCentre to aid this idea through commerce and business practices, and theInternational Centre for Education in
Islamic Finance that awards graduatedegrees in financial specialisationsshould come as an encouraging move.In terms of new content, Universiti Putra Malaysia's Graduate Schoolof Business's philosophy of humangovernance is also making waves asan alternative to the long held principles of human resources, offering anethical and spiritual. alternative thatmay change the face of the businessworld as we know it.
Another aspect that makes Malaysia an attractive location to pursuegraduate studies is its unique situation as a cultural hub, food heaven anda centre from which other cultures
and .countries are easily accessible."Malaysia is well known for its population diversity and globalised society:'comments Professor Abdul Rahman.
"It is a platform that liberally'connectsthe east and the west, including religions and cultures.
However,the keyarea in postgraduate education that sets us apart fromother countries in Southeast Asia is
western style postgraduate coursesand programmes offered in English,taught or supervised by academicsthat are trained internationally or arefamiliar with international expectations at affordable prices."
The casefor Asia, and especially forMalaysia,asthe new wellspring of education isstill evolving, but if the currententhusiastic approach being practicedby those involved is anything to go by,there issure to be a lot more development on this front. We can only waitand seewhat the future holds.