‘Expedite evaluating accreditation process of China, Taiwan degrees’

SIBU: The federal government has been urged to speed up the accreditation evaluation process and recognise medical, dentistry and pharmacy degrees from China and Taiwan to prevent brain drain of educated Chinese and the exodus of talents to other countries.

United Chinese Association ( UCA) Sibu Division president Ngieng Ping Sing in making the call said the government and China had signed the ‘Framework agreement to facilitate mutual recognition of academic higher education qualifications’ on April 28, 2011.

Stating this in a statement recently, he said the main objective of the agreement was to promote cooperation in higher education and facilitate students’ mobility between both countries.

At the same time, he added, the government of Malaysia also recognised the 57 higher education institutes in Taiwan.

Ngieng who is also Sibu Shipyards’ Association chairman said the consulate- general of the People’s Republic of China also expressed the hope that the relevant authority in Malaysia recognise the degrees obtained by Malaysians studying in universities in China.

“However, Malaysians who finished their studies in China and Taiwan universities were facing a lot of problems and obstacles in looking for a job in Malaysia,” he lamented.

On May 1, 2012, he said the former health minister announced that his ministry would direct Malaysian Medical Council ( MMC) to conduct the accreditation evaluation on the 12 top medical schools in China.

The schools were Capital Medical College of Beijing University, Jinan University, Sun Yat- sen University, Tongji Medical College, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Tianjin Medical University, Peking Union Medical College of Tsinghua University Bejing, School of Medicine ( Wuhan University), The West China College of Medicine ( Sichuan University), Xiamen Medical School, Shanghai Medical University of Fudan University ( SMUFU) and Shanghai Jiao University (SJU).

“So far only two medical schools were successfully accredited – SMUFU and SJU,” he disclosed.

Ngieng said he has submitted the memorandum of understanding ( MoU) on the matters to the Deputy Minister of Health Dr Lee Boon Chye.