Committed to excel

THE Rating System for Malaysian Institutions of Higher Education or SETARA is a rating exercise that measures Malaysian universities and university colleges for their quality of teaching and learning at level six ( undergraduate level) of the Malaysian Qualifications Framework.

The SETARA rating is among the measures taken by the Malaysian Education Ministry to cultivate a culture of continuous quality enhancement in an effort to complement the process of quality assurance undertaken by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency.

The SETARA rating system was introduced in 2007 with a focus on six distinct domains and 89 measuring indicators.

In 2009, the system used 25 criteria represented by 82 indicators, while in 2011 it used 26 criteria represented by 62 indicators.

The evaluation criteria used in SETARA are centred on questions that address the crucial components of an institution of higher learning, namely, its governing body, academic governance, management and staff, strategic planning, academic autonomy, clearly defined lines of responsibility and decisionmaking, student representation and organisational climate.

According to the vicechancellor of Universiti Utara Malaysia ( UUM), Prof Datuk Seri Dr Mohamed Mustafa Ishak ( pic), UUM has shown overall consistent improvement in its performance in the SETARA rating.

“The Tier 2 rating attained in 2007 was bettered in 2009 with the Tier 4 rating, which subsequently rose to Tier 5 rating in 2011 and 2013,” he points out.

He adds that the positive rise in UUM’s performance in the SETARA ratings shows that UUM is deeply committed to enhancing the quality of teaching and learning at the university.

This, he says, will indirectly aid in driving the transformation of the university and the nation.

“The university is highly confident that teaching and learning processes of the first order can produce competitive graduates of calibre to meet the needs of the increasingly challenging job market of today,” he adds.

There is no doubt that UUM emphasises quality education and this is evident in the efforts it takes to ensure the world- class quality of its teaching and learning.

For more information, visit www. uum. edu. my or call 04- 928 4000.