Malaysian Qualifications Agency

Last updated

Malaysian Qualifications Agency
Malaysian Qualifications Agency logo.png
AbbreviationMQA
Type Government Organisation
Legal statusStatutory body
Purpose Educational accreditation
Headquarters Mercu MQA, Jalan Teknokrat 7, Cyberjaya , Malaysia
Region served
Malaysia
Chief Executive Officer
Dr Mohamad Shatar Sabran
Parent organisation
 Ministry of Higher Education
Website www.mqa.gov.my

The Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA; Malay : Agensi Kelayakan Malaysia) is a statutory body in Malaysia set up under the Malaysian Qualifications Act 2007 to accredit academic programs provided by educational institutions providing post secondary or higher education and facilitate the accreditation and articulation of qualifications.

Contents

The head office is in Cyberjaya, Selangor. [1]

Role

The main role of the MQA is to implement the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF) as a basis for quality assurance of higher education and as the reference point for the criteria and standards for national qualifications. Specifically, the functions of the MQA are: [2]

The MQA also evaluates foreign qualifications and assesses it for equivalency with Malaysian secondary school and university preparatory qualifications. [3]

Exemptions

The Education Act 1996 specifically excludes from its definition of educational institutions, schools or any other institutions where the teaching is confined exclusively to the teaching of any religion or any place declared by the Minister by notification in the Gazette not to be an educational institution. [4] This allows for schools that provide religious instruction exclusively (like seminaries) to be exempt from the jurisdiction of the MQA.

History

Under Malaysian law, all institutions of higher education established by the federal government are deemed to be self-accrediting whereas no formal accreditation system for courses of study provided by privately owned (including those owned by state governments) existed until the passing of the series of education-related legislation in 1996.

The situation before 1996

The first university in Malaysia, the University of Malaya (UM), was a result of the union between the older King Edward VII College of Medicine (established in 1905) and Raffles College (established in 1928) with the passage of the University of Malaya Ordinance 1949. The ordinance empowered UM to confer diplomas and degrees in its own name, making it de jure self-accrediting institution. With the 1961 separation of the Kuala Lumpur campus and Singapore campus of UM into the University of Malaya and the University of Singapore respectively, the University of Malaya Act 1961 and the Degrees and Diplomas Acts 1962 re-affirmed the authority granted to under previous legislations to the newly re-organised UM.

With the passage of the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA), all universities and university colleges established by the federal government of Malaysia were granted the power to confer diplomas and degrees in their own name. Universiti Teknologi Mara was established by the Universiti Teknologi Mara Act 1976 granting it the same powers as other institutions established under the UUCA but allowing it to restrict its enrolment of non-Malay and non-Bumiputra students by virtue of Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia. [5]

The Registration of Schools Ordinance 1950 provided for the registration of privately owned educational institutions providing post secondary or higher education. Subsequent legislation such as the Education Ordinance 1957, the Education Act 1961, the Essential (Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations 1969, the Education (Amendment) Act 1963, and the Education Act 1996, continued to provide the legal basis for the registration of private institutions of higher education but continued to grant the power to approve courses of study by the Minister. [6]

Nonetheless, the passage of the National Council of Higher Education Act 1996 gave indications that an overhaul of the regulations governing private institutions of higher education was being planned. The subsequent passages of the Private Higher Educational Institutes Act 1996 and the Lembaga Akreditasi Negara Act 1996 later the same year saw the revamping of the registration and approval regime of private institutions of higher education.

Reform and consolidation

A statutory body known as Lembaga Akreditasi Negara (English: National Accreditation Board) or LAN was established under the Lembaga Akreditasi Negara Act 1996 to accredit certificate, diploma and degree programs provided by private institutions of higher education. In April 2002, a Quality Assurance Division (QAD) was established by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to manage and co-ordinate the quality assurance system in public institutions of higher learning. [7]

A national consultation seminar was convened in 2003 to streamline and provide for a unified system of qualifications offered by all institutions of higher education in Malaysia; [8] this eventually saw the adoption of the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF) in 2007.

Establishment of the MQF

On 1 November 2007, the QAD and LAN were dissolved and their functions taken over by the MQA which was established under the Malaysian Qualifications Agency Act 2007.

See also

Related Research Articles

University of Malaya Public university in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The University of Malaya (UM) or unofficially the Malayan University is a public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest and highest ranking Malaysian institution of higher education according to two international ranking agencies. The university has graduated four prime ministers of Malaysia, and other political, business, and cultural figures of national prominence. The predecessor of the university, King Edward VII College of Medicine, was established on 28 September 1905 in Singapore, then a territory of the British Empire. In October 1949, the merger of the King Edward VII College of Medicine and Raffles College created the university. Rapid growth during its first decade caused the university to organize as two autonomous divisions on 15 January 1959, one located in Singapore and the other in Kuala Lumpur. In 1960, the government of Malaysia indicated that these two divisions should become autonomous and separate national universities. One branch was located in Singapore, later becoming the National University of Singapore after the independence of Singapore from Malaysia, and the other branch was located in Kuala Lumpur, retaining the name University of Malaya. Legislation was passed in 1961 and the University of Malaya was established on 1 January 1962. In 2012, UM was granted autonomy by the Ministry of Higher Education.

A diploma mill is a company or organization that claims to be a higher education institution but provides illegitimate academic degrees and diplomas for a fee. The degrees can be fabricated (made-up), falsified (fake), or misrepresented. These degrees may claim to give credit for relevant life experience, but should not be confused with legitimate prior learning assessment programs. They may also claim to evaluate work history or require submission of a thesis or dissertation for evaluation to give an appearance of authenticity. Diploma mills are frequently supported by accreditation mills, set up for the purpose of providing an appearance of authenticity. The term may also be used pejoratively to describe an accredited institution with low academic admission standards and a low job placement rate. An individual may or may not be aware that the degree they have obtained is not wholly legitimate. In either case, legal issues can arise if the qualification is used in resumes.

European Higher Education Area

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) was launched in March 2010, during the Budapest-Vienna Ministerial Conference, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Bologna Process.

The Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ), (HKCAA) is a statutory body established under the HKCAAVQ Ordinance which came into effect on 1 October 2007.

University of Kuala Lumpur University in Malaysia

Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) is a multi-campus technical university with its main campus based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Rated as a Tier-5 "Excellent University" by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia in 2009, 2011, 2013 and awarded Putra Brand Award in 2016. UniKL has 14 institutes spread across 12 campuses throughout Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, Gombak, Cheras, Bangi, Kajang, Sepang, Taboh Naning, Pasir Gudang, Ipoh, Lumut and Kulim.

Al-Madinah International University

The Al-Madinah International University is an independent educational institution in Malaysia. It was established in 2006, founded on Islamic principles and values.

The Malaysian Qualifications Framework or the MQF is a unified system of post secondary qualifications offered on a national basis in Malaysia. It is administered by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), a statutory body under the purview of the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE).

Ministry of Higher Education (Malaysia)

The Ministry of Higher Education, abbreviated MOHE, is ministry of the Government of Malaysia that is responsible for higher education, polytechnic, community college, student loan, accreditation, student volunteer. Its main office is in Putrajaya. The ministry was formed on 27 March 2004, merged back into the Ministry of Education on 14 May 2013, but then reformed on 28 July 2015. After the 2018 general election, the ministry became a higher education division under the MOE. In the Muhyiddin cabinet, the higher education division was separated again from Ministry of Education to form as ministry since 10 March 2020.

The Executive College is a private higher education institution, established in 2004 in Sarawak, Malaysia.

KTG Education Group is a private college in Malaysia. Its main campus is located in Mantin, Negri Sembilan. The college offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, including a master's degree in IT, engineering and business. KTG and Leeds Beckett University (UK) partner to offer a British qualification at KTG's main campus. The campus enrolls approximately 3,500 students, with about 30% of them from other countries.

Higher education accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of post-secondary educational institutions or programs are evaluated to determine if applicable standards are met. If standards are met, accredited status is granted by the agency.

Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysian public university

Universiti Teknologi MARA is a public university based primarily in Shah Alam. It was established to help rural Malays in 1956 as the RIDA Training Centre, and opened with around 50 students. It has since grown into the largest institution of higher education in Malaysia as measured by physical infrastructure, faculty and staff, and student enrollment.

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman is a non-profit private research university in Malaysia. It is ranked top 100 in the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2018 and top 600 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021, placing it overall 2nd in Malaysia only after University of Malaya.

As a commonwealth country, the Malaysian legal education system is rooted from the United Kingdom. Legal qualifications offered by the local law faculties require students to have a pre-university qualification such as the Malaysian Higher School Certificate, A-Level, International Baccalaureate, Foundation Course or a Diploma. Generally, the law degree programmes in Malaysia consist of civil law subjects, but there are institutions such as International Islamic University Malaysia and Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin that include Sharia or Islamic law courses as requirements for admission and graduation.

AIMST University Private research university in Malaysia

Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology is a profit private university in Malaysia. It was established under the Maju Institute of Education Development (MIED), a profit organisation. The university was built by Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) to provide tertiary education, particularly to Malaysian Indian students in the medical, science and engineering fields and business management. AIMST offers more than 32 degree programmes at the foundation, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels.

IPE Management School Paris

The IPE Management School Paris or the Institut pour l'Expertise is a European business school located in Paris, France. IPE Paris is one of the six grandes écoles within Le Réseau des Grandes Écoles Spécialisées. Together with other Institutions of Réseau GES, IPE Paris delivers undergraduate and postgraduate level degrees. Réseau GES operates in 6 campus sites in Paris for a student population of over 5,500 students. Their working relationship with over 2,500 French businesses and companies ensures that the programs are relevant to the needs of industry today.

Husaini Omar

Husaini bin Omar is a Malaysian academic, geologist, researcher, engineer and the incumbent Director-General of Higher Education since 1 February 2021.

References

  1. ↑ "Home". Malaysian Qualifications Agency. Retrieved 7 June 2021. Malaysian Qualifications Agency Mercu MQA, No. 3539, Jalan Teknokrat 7, Cyber 5, 63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor.
  2. ↑ Malaysian Qualifications Agency: MQA In Brief Archived 5 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Malaysian Qualifications Agency: Nilai Taraf Kelayakan Akademik Luar Negara yang Setara dengan SPM/STPM Archived 21 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine (in Malay)
  4. ↑ Education Act 1996: Article 2 of the Act Archived 29 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Universiti Teknologi Mara Act 1976: Article 1A and 3A of the Act Archived 29 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Education Act 1996 Refer to Article 77 of the Act Archived 29 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Ministry of Higher Education: Quality Assurance Division - About Us Archived 7 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ Ministry of Higher Education: Quality Assurance Division - Position Paper for a National Qualifications Framework Archived 20 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.