KUALA LUMPUR, 9 December 2013 - Most participants in the Global Higher Education Forum (GHEF) 2013 commented that the meeting had discussed issues that are more focused and significant in the development of higher education today.

Keynote speaker, Sir Graeme Davis from the University of London, United Kingdom, said that most speakers have highlighted a variety of ideas and perspectives that can be used to improve the performance of higher education globally.

Sir Graeme who is also a consultant on current issues pertaining to higher education, agreed that the topics discussed are highly relevant to the current situation of higher education including the Public Institution of Higher Learning (IPTA) and Private Institution of Higher Learning (IPTS).

“Many issues have been discussed in depth and these include areas concerning inclusiveness, strengthening employability, diversity, and the community.

“Through GHEF we also can conclude that public and private institutions should work together because their desired objective is the same and that is to provide the best education to the community,” he said.

This statement was welcomed by the Programme Chairman of Taylor's University (TU), Associate Professor Dr. Vikneswaran Nair, who is also a Fellow of the National Higher Education Research Institute (IPPTN) since 2007.

"The organising of joint seminars between public and private institutions is very timely because of the mission and vision in the field of higher education of public or private universities are the same. Their direction and objectives make IPTs relevant, "he added.

He added that the partnership between USM and TU has existed for a long time but this year is the first time for both to collaborate in organising an international seminar.

In the meantime, the Deputy Director of International Relations Office, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Suhaili A. Jalil said that GHEF 2013 is very beneficial to the participants, especially those who are directly involved in developing ‘knowledge towers’.

“The presenters are very experienced and served as consultants internationally on matters related to higher education. These are people who really understand the meaning of higher education; hence they are able to give detailed input of the current trends and scenarios of the higher education.

“In the ‘organisation’ aspect of the forum, there is nothing much to be improved because the presentations including question-and-answer session were well organised,'' she said.

She then added that the discussions held over the three days are focused and are invaluable to the participants who can apply the knowledge gained to their organisation.

Head of Education Affairs, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Sports of Laos, Senekeo Vongsakit said that he was impressed by the second keynote presentation of GHEF 2013 which touched on the financial resources and loans available for higher education.

This is because the Laotian government is reviewing the fees and study loans that will be implemented in Laos.

Former UNESCO Higher Education Specialist, Molly Lee also urged more academicians to participate in seminars such as this and to present more papers.

She felt that many young lecturers were present only as passive participants and she also suggested that the number of presenters from Asian countries, the Middle East and Europe must be equal.

Paper presenter from Elsevier, Anders Karlson said that this forum could motivate some to return to serve their alma mater. To him, Malaysia has many great Higher Learning Institutions but the numbers of students who contribute their expertise to the country are still low.

“With this forum, we may be able to move slowly on the importance of giving expert services to the world in general, and the country in particular.

“This can be seen as drops of water dripping on a stone’s surface and they will eventually erode a cavity in the stone; the same goes with the efforts towards making the development of higher education a success,” he added.

He, however, also expressed the view that all papers presented in future GHEF should be compiled into one book instead of, like GHEF 2013, providing a book and a supplement.

Paper presenter from the University of Deakin, Australia, Dr. James Campbell said he was happy with the discussions and the invited speakers in the forum. All topics discussed were very appropriate and fulfilled his expectations.

“The selection of a strategic venue, interesting topics, everything else has been appropriate for this forum. With Global Higher Education Network (GHEN), ideas and topics discussed can be accelerated.

“It is not easy to implement all the matters discussed since the participants are from different countries, however, it can be worked out the best possible way with the commitment of all parties,” he said.

GHEF 2013, managed jointly by IPPTN and Taylor’s University for the first time, was attended by about 200 participants which included prominent experts in higher education, among them were university vice-chancellors, rectors, and deputy vice-chancellors.

Launching of GHEF 2013 involved participants from various countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, and South Africa and the event was inaugurated by the Director General of Higher Education of Malaysia, Dato’ Professor Dr. Morshidi Sirat. - Translation: Sharifah Darweena Syed Ahmad Amir Feisal/Photos: Mohd Fairus Md. Isa