Safety net or student trap?
The bond that is to be imposed on private education institutions will be more of a burden than an assurance of security.
WRITER Lionel Ngion began his tertiary studies at a private college in the Klang Valley in 2010. The college did not have a big student enrolment but had over the years earned a reputation for its programmes in business and communications.
However, some months after he joined the college, the student population had dwindled to 25, an all-time low for the institution.
Ngion was worried that the college was in danger of closing and his hunch turned out to be right. Two weeks prior to the start of a new semester, Ngion received news that his college was to cease operations temporarily and that he would have to continue his diploma programme at another college.
“I still had about 18 months to go ... I was very upset that I had to continue my studies elsewhere.
“Even though the college was not doing very well then, I was quite happy with the lecturers and the way the courses were conducted,” said Ngion, 24.
Still, Ngion was glad that he did not have to fork out extra money for the transfer.
The action taken by the college management was a move in the right direction as it had acted responsibly and in good faith by ensuring that its students were able to continue their respective courses at another institution.
Had the college management acted otherwise and absconded with the fees, it would have spelt doom for the students who would have been left in limbo. Their parents too would have suffered as the situation might have required them to review their finances and even borrow.
Fostering a trust
Ngion’s position then and the dilemma the college was in, is the type of situation that the education authorities want to avert. It is for this reason that Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin announced that all private institutions of higher learning (IPTS) will be required to post a bond before they are issued licences to operate.
If all goes to plan, the bond is expected to be imposed at the end of the year.
He said that the proposed move was aimed at addressing problems when an institition had to be shut down.
Without a bond, Khaled said the ministry was burdened with the cost of having to move students from an institution that was shut down to another institution.
The placement of the bond which is expected to be implemented after the amendment of the Private Education Act 1996, will serve as an added prerequisite to existing conditions that require an institution to have a certain amount of capital.
The quantum of the bond reportedly would vary for colleges, university colleges and universities.
On the other hand, Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Hou Kok Chung said last month that the ministry would tighten the use of the word “international” in private institutions.
He said an IPTS which carried the word “international” in its official name must offer a campus environment which had characteristics reflecting an institution with an international status.
As for “international’ colleges operating from shophouses, the ministry, he said was still studying the legal implications of withdrawing the word.
Figures provided by the ministry showed that the licences of 84 private institutions were revoked while another 17 had their registrations cancelled from 2007 to 2011.
The termination of courses that had previously been approved by the ministry, and the cessation of activities conducted by the institutions, were among the reasons cited for the revocations and cancellations.
Higher Education Department Enforcement and Inspectorate Division principal assistant director Ab Rahim Ahmad said institutions which had their registrations cancelled were first given the chance to appeal before they had their licences revoked.
“They must prove their ‘worth and sustainability’ to the review panel. We will also check whether the programmes in the institutions are running well,” said Ab Rahim.
He advised parents and students to refer to the list of active institutions available on the ministry’s website before signing up for a particular college or varsity.
“When an IPTS decides to close down, it is required to serve a notice of its intention to the ministry.
“The IPTS must also make necessary arrangements to ensure that the studies of its students are not disrupted,” said Ab Rahim.
Failing to comply, he said would mean that the institutions were liable to a fine not exceeding RM2,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both upon conviction.
“The ministry will oversee the whole operation to ensure that their education does not suffer as a result of the closure,” she said.
“This is done through a series of inspections to the IPTS concerned and they include both the institutions involved in transferring and also receiving the affected students,” said Ab Rahim.
Universiti Tun Abdul Razak president and vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Md Zabid Abdul Rashid agreed that the imposition of the bond on IPTS would safeguard the interest of the students.
“When a college or varsity accepts a student, it has the responsibility to ensure the student is able to graduate successfully.
“If the IPTS is unable to do so, then it is obliged to see that the student is able to complete his or her studies at another institution. It is on this basis that I suport the proposed move,” said Prof Md Zabid.
Better control
He added that it was high time the higher education industry was put under stricter regulations since it was an important sector that contributed to the development of human capital.
“How are we going to produce future leaders for the country if the higher education industry is not disciplined?” he asked. Nevertheless, several IPTS operators felt that there should not be a blanket imposition of the bond on all institutions.
“The Government should not act hastily.