USM PENANG, 18 July 2022 – Higher education in the post-pandemic era is facing various major challenges, which on the flipside has also allowed for more new opportunities to be explored.

One of the major challenges will be on how to entice more international students to undergo studies here, especially postgraduate studies.

National boundaries are no longer barriers to direct investments in higher education. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the process of utilising technology in implementing such moves. Thus, local universities need to collaborate with various external parties in efforts to increase the marketability of study programmes that will fulfil market demands.

The current process in post-pandemic higher education is also showing an upward trend in the utilisation of technology as the mechanism of choice as means of communication between faculty members and students, which can be conducted in a hybrid manner. The process of transferring knowledge and skills can now be facilitated wherever students may be, and minimising the need for students to see the lecturers in person.

The mode of offering academic programmes abroad, “TransNational Education (TNE)” is becoming more popular, whereby programmes can be offered in a country that is separate from the country where the programme originates.

Some of the collaborations include those with reputable universities from around the world as well as with relevant bodies abroad in offering study programmes of local universities, by means of offshore programmes.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) pioneered the move in offering academic programmes abroad since 2009, through the collaboration with the Karnataka Lingayat Society, in Belgaum, India. The programme offered was a Medical Doctor (M.D.) study programme, with a successful intake of the first cohort of students in 2011, reflecting a major achievement through such effort.

Approximately 300 students are currently undergoing studies in Belgaum. To date, the programme has produced 668 doctors, now serving in various local hospitals.

The latest collaboration is with the European Global School – University (EGS-U), with the agreement on academic cooperation signed in January 2022 to offer postgraduate and pre-graduate programmes in Turkiye.

Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Seri Dr. Noraini Ahmad, together with high-ranking officials of the Ministry recently visited the USM offshore campus in Besiktas, Istanbul on 13 June 2022.

Through the cooperation with EGS-U Turkiye, programmes that have been given the go-ahead by the Malaysian Department of Higher Education include 18 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes, 15 Master's Programme and 1 pre-graduate programme.

Through this cooperation, USM has extended 53 offers and is undergoing the evaluation process for 19 more applications, and is expecting to receive close to 80 student applications for the 2022 registration year.

USM is also conducting other offshore programmes with a number of institutions from the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong and Indonesia while offering dual-degree programmes with universities in Japan, France and the United Kingdom.

A research collaboration has recently been established with Osaka University, Japan, whereby USM has been chosen as a centre to offer academic programmes for the Osaka Asean Campus. USM and Osaka University are now offering dual-degree Doctoral programmes.

Such collaborations can also lead to closer ties in research and innovation efforts, and in the sharing of expertise in mutual areas of strength between both partners.

The university at the same time, needs to be attuned to the requirement to raise the number of international students enrolled in ensuring the continuity of higher education at the global level.

USM for example, now has close to 6,000 international students coming from more than 80 countries. The international community at USM meanwhile, stands at close to 10,000, including students' families and expatriate staff. This portrays an ecosystem where the campus experience can be brought into the world stage.

Such an ecosystem needs to be supported with the offering of competitive programmes, available and acknowledged expertise, level of technology offered, close ties with industries and availability of facilities offered such as telecommunication and hospitality services, research laboratories, accommodation and a conducive academic setting.

These efforts will ensure the university a place in the global community, at the same time providing for a sizeable international student community in the country.

Such an effort will also support the plan by the Ministry of Higher Education to have 250,000 international students in Malaysia.

Text: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin