PURPOSE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
THERE is mainstream acceptance that the core catalyst for the development of a nation is its “intellectual capital”. It is key to a country’s transformation towards a “knowledge economy”. How effective a nation harnesses this intangible asset will determine the difference between success and failure.
According to PT People Power International president director Dr Suresh Marcandan, education in general ― tertiary education in particular ― is a great equaliser in societies.
He said education is the most potent weapon to alleviate poverty, as well as the reducing of crime and other social ills.
Higher education plays a crucial role in sustaining a nation’s competitive advantage.
“The Higher Education Ministry’s vision is to make Malaysia a centre for higher education excellence by 2020.
“However, a comparative analysis conducted by Universiti Sains Malaysia in 2016 found that when the three top public universities (University of Malaya, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Universiti Utara Malaysia) were compared with private and foreign universities in Malaysia, they were ‘inefficient in income generation and in managing inputs, which included the government operating grants’. They have become complacent.
“It is paradoxical that Malaysia spends almost five per cent of Gross Domestic Product on education, but has been ranked the fifth most expensive place to get a university education, relative to its household income.
“These statistics are worrying, and begs the question whether the Malaysian higher education sector is well-positioned to contribute towards the lofty vision of the ministry ― to identify, nurture, develop and retain talent to meet demands of a changing workplace landscape created by the ‘digital age’ and driven by innovations.
“In the context of higher education, the main areas of nation branding are intellectual capital and brain power, magnet for talent, country of origin effect and destination for aspiration.”
Marcandan was a guest speaker at the Jeffery Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia’s public lecture held at Sunway University recently.
His lecture was on whether the higher education sector is contributing towards the sustainable competitive advantage of Malaysia.
According to global interpretations, the purposes of higher education, among others, are to identify, nurture, develop and retain the best talent in the country; to be a catalyst for innovation by creating a conducive environment; and to turn students into thoughtful and interesting human beings.
But Marcandan asked what do the students want and what is the core business of a university. He questioned if the core purpose of higher education is to teach students in a holistic manner so that they could contribute to the good of society.
A 2016 survey done by IBM Institute of Business Value in the United States of America found that higher education provided more practical knowledge and applied educational experience in terms of critical-thinking approach, decision-making, problem-solving and creative skills.
Marcandan said the purposes of higher education, as defined by Murdoch University in Perth, Australia, was to build a nation human capital by developing and disseminating knowledge, education, research and independence as well as informed public commentary.
Also, he added, the purposes were to be a