Pre-tertiary education (pre-school to secondary education) is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education (MOE). The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has overall responsibility for the post-secondary and higher education.
The Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission (APACC) recommended that member countries develop their own national qualification framework that should enable reciprocal compliance of standards and criteria within a regional basis. It is also recommended that each qualification levels be characterized by different aspects of competencies. Competencies for each level should consist of knowledge, intellectual skills, psychomotor skills, ICT skills, learning skills, personal attributes and context
The different levels of qualifications are recommended to be as follows:
Certificate of Technical, Vocational & Professional Education and Training
Certificate of Competency for Skills Training
Diploma for Skills Training
Diploma in Technical / Vocational/ Professional
Advanced Diploma
Bachelor (Hons)
Masters
Doctoral
a) International regulatory and policy frameworks
The MQA is part of the Association of Quality Assurance Agencies of the Islamic World (ADAAIW), the ASEAN Quality Assurance Network (AQAN) , the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) and the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN).
Malaysia is a party to the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area Agreement (AANZFTA). This agreement has significantly liberalised the conditions under which Australian and New Zealand education providers can operate in Malaysia.
b) Regional agreements
Malaysia Education for All Mid-Decade Assessment Report 2000-2007
Achieving The Millennium Development Goals 2005
c) National regulations and policy
All most all public universities are governed by the Universities and Universities College Act 1971 and technical education is provided by the Education Act 1996 and funded by the government. The Private Higher Education Institutions Act 1996 regulate the establishment of all full fledge universities, university colleges and the non-degree granting institutions. PHEIs must be approved by the Minister on the recommendations of the National Accreditation Board (LAN). Assessment or accreditation of Minimum Standards as required by the Act and regular monitoring are required. Non-degree granting institutions are allowed to conduct degree programmes only in collaboration with local and foreign universities, diploma and certificate programs, professional courses and short courses.
Education Act (1996)
Malaysian Qualifications Act (2007)
National Council on Higher Education Act (1996)
National Higher Education Funding Act (1997)
Private Higher Educational Institutions Act (1996)
University and University Colleges Act (1971)
Universiti Teknologi MARA Act (1976)
National Higher Education Action Plan 2007-2010
Education Development Plan For Malaysia 2001-2010
The Development of Education 2008
ICT in Malaysian Schools: Policy and Strategies (2002)
Pelan Induk Pembangunan Pendidikan PIPP 2006-2010
d) State/District regulations and policy
Not applicable.
e) University policies
Malaysian public universities operate in an increasingly demanding environment. Liberalisation of the higher education sector has led to growing competition from private sector providers, both Malaysian and foreign. There is also growing pressures on universities for greater public accountability. Since 2007, public universities in Malaysia have been given increasing autonomy in decision-making. This development has increased the pressures on institutional decision-makers, as they are now called to account for any deficiencies.