Need for more flexible tertiary education institutions to face global competition
NIBONG TEBAL: Malaysia needs more flexible institutions of higher education which are ready to take on new challenges so as not to lag behind in global competition, according to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
She said the challenges of new and complex technologies should also be given appropriate emphasis so that the people would not be left behind in the globalisation and digital era.
“Education plays a very important role, especially in preparing the students to change and adapt to the latest technology.
“In the rapid development of technology, students need not only be smart in seeking information to support the expansion of their knowledge, but they must also be wise enough to make optimal use of the knowledge in facing each challenge,” she said when addressing the students during her visit to the PERDA Advanced Technical Institute ( PERDATECH) here yesterday.
Also present was Rural Development Minister Rina Mohd Harun.
Dr Wan Azizah said like other developing countries, Malaysia should move towards becoming an industrial nation and that the government had set the path to ensure the survival of institutions of higher education as main producers of manpower in line with the industrial revolution.
“Even though efforts have been taken to change the country to use more technology especially in the industrial sector, we still have problem in getting well-trained tech workers in the workforce.
“This is because relatively the country has three levels of manpower with three different technologies, namely the adult generation (aged 40 and above), the middle generation, and the fresh- graduate generation,” she said, adding that the biggest challenge now was to improve productivity and encourage the adult generation to use technology as it was not as hard for the middle generation and the fresh graduates. — Bernama