PENANG, November 2014 - Collaboration with strategic partners from the Commonwealth countries are initiatives that can drive the development of national education to the highest level on par with developed countries.

Director General, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education (MOE), Professor Dato' Dr. Asma Ismail said, with that in mind, MOE introduced the Commonwealth Tertiary Education Facility (CTEF), which plays the role in strengthening the network with the Commonwealth Secretariat to bolster the country's higher education.

She said that CTEF hoped to become an agent that can systematically mobilise the cooperation among Commonwealth countries as well as to position Malaysia as an international hub, not only for higher education, but also as a strategic country to expand the network and collaboration between the countries worldwide.

“The collaboration seen today is an encouraging start to see how countries involved can share their ideas and experiences in managing issues concerning access to finance and funding for higher education in their respective countries.

“Such partnership also provides an important input especially in the current situation where all of us are facing the global economic crisis,” she said in a press conference here today.

Earlier, Asma launched the CTEF Inaugural Workshop with the theme of ‘Higher Education Funding and Access Issues in Selected Commonwealth Countries' which was jointly organised by USM through the National Higher Education Research Institute (IPPTN) and Center for Testing, Measurement and Appraisal (CeTMA), Universiti Utara Malaysia with support from the Commonwealth Secretariat (COMSEC).

Also present were Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic and International Affairs USM, Professor Dato’ Dr. Ahmad Shukri Mustapa Kamal; Director of CTEF, Professor Dato’ Dr. Morshidi Sirat; COMSEC Education Advisor, Nasir Kazmi; and Director of IPPTN, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Munir Shuib.

Asma explained that the workshop also plays a role in providing a holistic global understanding in matters involving funding and financing mechanisms, the best financial practices reviews, and best funding from the participating countries.

“With increased knowledge and understanding, it will help to strengthen the financial funding policies and higher education financing for the participating countries while strengthening international relations and to expand global cooperation network,” she said.

In the meantime, Morshidi said that CTEF has a clear direction and in five years, till 2019, CTEF should be able to generate its own finances and be well established.

“Till now, USM-based CTEF is under the wings of IPPTN and is fully funded by the government through MOE; we have devised a strategic plan to carry out special programmes to ensure CTEF’s sustainability and viability.

“Among the long-term plans of CTEF is the possibility of setting-up of a CTEF satellite centre at a location outside Malaysia and to ensure that all strategic programmes can be successfully accomplished,'' he said.

Morshidi was appointed based on his vast experiences in leading various higher education agencies, including being a popular former Director General of Department of Higher Education, MOE. - Translation: Siti Faizah Abd Halim/Text: Marziana Mohamed Alias/Photo: Mohamad Danial Shahri