Private Higher Education in Malaysia: students ...

Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management Vol. 25, No. 2, November 2003

Private Higher Education in Malaysia: students’ satisfaction levels and strategic implications

M. SADIQ SOHAIL, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Saudi Arabia MOHAMMAD SAEED, Minot State University, USA

ABSTRACT

The main objective of this paper is to examine the satisfaction levels of students pursuing private higher education in Malaysia. A brief introduction on the marketing orientation of higher education and a review of related literature is undertaken. A discussion of the market-sensitive higher education system follows. The paper presents conclusions from a survey that shows country preference of overseas universities among Malaysian students, the problems perceived by them, student views on teaching faculty and sources of information about overseas programmes. The paper concludes by identifying key strategic implications.

Considerable attention has been given to the issue of marketing of higher education in the international context. For example in Australia, the 1998/1999 Budget Review of Higher Education proposed a market-based model of funding which meant that funding should follow student demand. Proposals such as these have prompted educational institutions to adopt a marketing orientation, which was not present in this sector before (Joseph & Joseph, 2000). Market-driven strategies are being pursued by educational institutions in countries including Australia, the USA, UK, Canada and New Zealand. Studies show that the main markets for higher education are Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia, followed by India, Japan and Taiwan (Maslen 1998a). Marketing of education has thus become an area where universities across the world compete with each other to attract students from a wide range of foreign markets (Altbach, 1998). However, since the Asian economic crisis in 1997, many educational providers have realised that there has been a sharp fall in the number of students patronising their universities. For Australia, the number of student visas issued in some Asian countries decreased by 45% (Maslen 1998b) and, specifically, there was an 80% drop in visas issued to Malaysian students (Illing, 1998). Because of the economic problems since the Asian crisis, most of these nations, including Malaysia, have devised innovative ways to encourage students to pursue studies within the their own country ISSN 1360-080X print; 1469–9508 online/03/020173-09  2003 Association for Tertiary Education Management DOI: 10.1080/1360080032000122642

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rather than having to go overseas. The strategy of educational providers has been to establish a campus and provide information and knowledge in the places where students are located.

Previous Research

A large number of studies in the area of education have considered issues relating to the transmission of education and knowledge via distance education from one country to another, and increasingly how distance education as a concept is being merged with elements of open learning, multimedia delivery and thereby the internationalisation of education (for example, Cookson et al., 1990; Edwards, 1997; Jones et al., 1987). Delivery in the home country has rarely been discussed in these literatures. Relevant and specific work on actual foreign delivery within the host country has recently been undertaken in China-based studies by Willis and Rushdie (2000) and Hayhoe (1989; 1996). These studies identified and analysed the students’ expectations and views of the relevance delivering courses and programmes in China. Several studies on foreign delivery in the Malaysia and Singapore have been completed (Nicholls, 1987; Lewis & Pratt, 1996; Blight & West, 1999). In a wider marketing context, there is considerable research on adaptation and standardisation, many researchers arguing that a product or service must be adapted in varying degrees depending upon the nature of the market (Hite & Fraser, 1988; Link, 1988; Rosenbloom et al, 1997). The argument put forth by these authors was that there is a continuum between standardisation and adaptation, the level of adaptation depending upon the nature of the market. Some research has focused on the factors that affect the level and degree of adaptation or standardisation (for example, Douglas & Wind, 1987), but none of this is in the context of educational delivery.

Malaysian Higher Education System: an overview

A market-sensitive educational system has been evolving in Malaysia. Traditionally, public universities were responsible for providing undergraduate and graduate studies. While private colleges have been in existence in Malaysia for the last twenty years, the government has been actively supporting them since 1995 to develop their own unique and innovative education route. This has been necessitated by the structural transformation of the economy, and the emphasis of the educational policy, which has been directed towards building a pool of well-educated and skilled professionals. The strategies pursued for the growth and development of education have been to encourage the private sector to meet the needs of tertiary education. Several pieces of legislation have been enacted since then, setting a major revolution in the higher education system. The Malaysian government has linked economic development with education and envisioned that the country will be a regional educational hub. To this end, the government established the National Accreditation Board (LAN) on 15 May 1997 to facilitate the educational direction, procedures, and standards regarding the quality of courses in private tertiary education (LAN, 1998). This new body rates a private tertiary provider on criteria such as research, academic staff to student ratio, permitted qualifications of academic staff with respect to level of courses taught, facilities of tertiary providers and available funding. The National Accreditation Board’s broad-based provisions in the blueprint for tertiary education indicate that by 2005 76% of staff at universities should have PhDs or equivalent professional qualifications, and 50% at polytechnics and private institutions

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Private Higher Education in Malaysia TABLE 1. Private education institutions (as until 31 May 2001) No. of institutions

No. of students enrolled

No. of academic staff

Type of institution

Total

Kuala Lumpur

Total

Kuala Lumpur

Total

Kuala Lumpur

College status University status University branch campus Total

652 10 4 666

158 2 2 162

209,589 20,839 1,641 232,069

48,512 933 110 49,555

8445 855 95 9395

1808 45 11 1864

Source: Ministry of Education, Malaysia.

should have master’s qualifications. It also envisages that at least 10% of the academic staff at local universities should be drawn internationally and that incentives will have to be offered to reverse the brain drain (Ministry of Education [MOE], 2001a). With the nation’s focus on the development of private colleges and universities, there were 13 conventional private universities, one virtual university and branch campuses of three foreign universities by the end of 2001. While the private universities have been vested with the right to award their own degrees at all levels, the foreign universities provide identical degree programmes as at the host university. As for private colleges, there were a total of 666 institutions by the middle of 2001. The number of students in private tertiary education institutions at the same time was 232,069 and academic staff numbered 9395 (MOE, 2001b). Table 1 provides an overview of the numbers of institutions, student enrolment and the academic staff strength in Malaysia overall and the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur. As can be seen from this table, private higher education in Malaysia is dominated by colleges. The government, in its quest to assure quality education has promulgated several laws and several regulations to ensure that the interests of the students are safeguarded. Private colleges are allowed to offer various types of courses. At the level of a bachelor degree, private colleges are allowed to offer courses leading to a degree under an inter-institutional collaborative arrangement with either a local or foreign university. Two major categories of arrangement have been envisaged: the split degree arrangement and the entire degree arrangement. Under the split degree arrangement, a part of the degree is undertaken at the private college and the final part of the programme is completed at the foreign university. Twinning programmes, credit transfer programmes and advanced standing programme are the modes of completion of the degree under the split degree arrangement. Twinning, or the split degree concept of studies, has been in existence since 1980. This may be a ‘1 ⫹ 2’ twinning arrangement (which requires a student to spend one year at the private college in Malaysia and the remaining two years at the foreign university that grants the degree), or a ‘2 ⫹ 1’ arrangement (which means that a student spends two years at the private college in Malaysia and then proceeds overseas to complete a year’s study). A 2 ⫹ 2 arrangement is also possible. Twinning has been a very popular alternative mainly because a foreign degree can be acquired with a substantial saving on living expenses and tuition fee. If the entire bachelor degree is to be completed at the private college, the major arrangement conceived is that of the ‘3 ⫹ 0’ degree programme. Under the ‘3 ⫹ 0’ arrangement, a student completes the entire degree course in Malaysia without having

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to leave the country. The external programme and the distance learning programme are the two other modes of completing an entire degree programme within Malaysia. The ‘3 ⫹ 0’ arrangement has been a breakthrough arrangement conceived by the government of Malaysia following the economic crisis in 1997. Private colleges that had proven their expertise in providing quality education and sound course management were permitted to offer the ‘3 ⫹ 0’ programme. A total of 19 colleges were approved to conduct franchised degree courses awarded by the foreign university (MOE, 2001c). Under this arrangement, the entire course curriculum is to be provided by the foreign university; teaching activity is at the private college; the college supplies qualified lecturers subject to quality control by the university; and upon completion of the course the degree is conferred by the foreign university.

Methodological Considerations Many private colleges offer courses through twinning arrangements with foreign universities and an increasing number of students have been pursuing courses through this arrangement in Malaysia. The aim of this study is to specifically analyse the level of satisfaction with regard to the following: • • •

the programmes offered by private colleges the selection process of private colleges the overall performance in terms of grading, facilities and infrastructure

A survey was conducted, the target respondents being local students pursuing their higher education through a twinning arrangement. A random sample of 200 students undertaking twinning courses confined to the Klang Valley region of Malaysia was undertaken. This region was selected because over 60% of the target population had chosen colleges from this region. First, the sample was limited to Malaysian students. Although Malaysia aims to create a regional educational hub and a centre for excellence in education by encouraging overseas students to study there, non-Malaysian students were excluded from the survey due to the fact that most of these international students either chose the 3 ⫹ 0 programme or had a different process of enrolment. Second, the scope of this study was limited to the area of business and management programmes. Other programmes were excluded from the study because they are not widely offered in private colleges and are not a popular choice among most students. Third, the survey targeted students pursuing a twinning programme provided by universities mainly from UK, US and Australia. Initially a pilot study was carried out. The information from this study was gathered from both primary and secondary sources. The primary source information was collected by distributing questionnaires and conducting interviews. Secondary sources used included material such as brochures, websites, journals, the Kuala Lumpur Education Fair and also information obtained from private colleges themselves. A survey instrument was developed based upon interviews conducted with the college authorities and by referring to background from other academic sources. To pre-test the questionnaire, the students were randomly selected and questionnaires were distributed to students from different colleges in the targeted region. Based on the results of the pilot study, minor revisions were made in the survey instrument. The revisions primarily involved the deletion and rearranging of questions in the survey. The final survey instrument had 30 questions.

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A full-scale study was carried out and questionnaires were randomly given out to targeted students. The randomly selected candidates provided full cooperation throughout the surveys. A total of 201 usable responses were obtained.

Sample Description

Fifty-four per cent of the respondents were female students. Overall, 63% of the respondents were aged between 18 and 20 years. Thirty per cent comprised students in the age range of 21–23 and the remaining 7% were in the age group of 24–27. Ninety-eight per cent of them reported they were single. As Malaysia is a multi-racial society with various subcultures, respondents were asked to state their ethnicity. Fifty-two per cent of the respondents were Chinese, 40% Malays, and Indians accounted for 8%. The number of Chinese students pursuing education at private college exceeded the number of Malays. This can be explained by the Malaysian government’s policy of giving special priority to the development of the Malays as the indigenous people (referred to as Bumiputra), under which a greater percentage of places in the public universities are reserved for them. The Indians are a prominent minority in Malaysia, and the number of Indian students studying in private colleges is proportionate to the overall population. Prior to joining the college, 63% of the students had successfully completed at least the SPM (Secondary School Certificate) examination and were pursuing certificate/diploma courses in private colleges which would lead to degree course. Twenty-three indicated that they possessed the STPM (Higher Secondary School Certificate) and the remaining 14% had gone through foundation programmes.

Findings

Students undertaking twinning programmes with United Kingdom institutions comprised 40% of the sample. Thirty-four per cent were undertaking Australian degree programmes, while 24% of students were studying in the educational programmes offered by universities from the United States. The remaining 2% of the sample were undertaking studies offered by institutions from New Zealand. Most students perceived Australia’s and the UK’s education standards as being among the highest in the world. The fact that the US Graduation Programme was only the third preference could perhaps be due to the relatively expensive fees and higher cost of living students will have bear while in the United States. As the fees collected by private colleges are higher than those at the public universities, the study sought to know if this could be a major barrier to students in pursuing studies. Overall, almost three-quarters of the respondents indicated that this was not so. Among those who did see this is an impediment, 35% of the ethnic Malay students and 37% of the Indian students perceived fees as an impediment, while only 16% of the Chinese students felt this as an impediment (Table 2). Students pursuing studies in Malaysia undergo their schooling in the national language, Bahasa Malaysia (literally meaning ‘the national language’). The medium of instruction in the private colleges, as approved by Ministry of Education, is English, while they are taught in Bahasa Malaysia in the public universities. Respondent students were therefore asked if the language of instruction was an impediment in pursuing studies in private colleges. Analysis revealed that 100% of ethnic Indian students faced no

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M. S. Sohail & M. Saeed TABLE 2. Comparative evaluation of selection measures by ethnicity Malays

Chinese

No impediment Impediment (%) (%) Fees Instruction Faculty Selection of college

65 85 85 88

35 15 15 12

Indians

No imped. (%)

Imped. (%)

No imped. (%)

Imped. (%)

84 81 79 94

16 19 21 6

63 100 75 88

37 0 25 12

problems concerning language. A little less than 20% of the Chinese had difficulties in the use of English, while 15% of the Malays faced this problem. Overall, 84% of all respondents did not have any problems regarding the language of instruction (Table 2). As for the relationship with teaching faculty, 82% of the respondents indicated that they did not have any problem, the lecturers being available for consultation after class contact hours at their respective colleges. Only 18% of the sample—comprising 15% of the Malay students, 21% of the Chinese students and 25% of the Indian students—indicated that lecturers contributed to some of the problems faced by them. The dissatisfaction was specifically related to the teaching methods used and the availability of the lecturer for consultation after class time. On the matter of selection of colleges, this was mainly influenced by the availability of courses offered. Overall, about 90% of respondents indicated that they faced no impediments, since they thought the college offered diverse courses to choose from. Table 2 provides a detailed overview of these findings. Other measures analysed related to the students’ views on the competency of lecturers, their concern about class size and their awareness of courses offered by private colleges. Sixty-one per cent of the male respondents and 63% of the female respondents agreed that the teaching staff were competent and the lectures were to their satisfaction. The main dissatisfaction reported was that the staff were not sufficiently specialised in the area in which they were required to teach. Thirty-nine per cent of the male respondents and 29.6% of the female respondents stated that their classes were too large. Forty-eight per cent of the total respondents, however, stated that the class size was adequate and did not trouble them. Most of the dissatisfied students were from either the foundation programme or the first year of the undergraduate programme, and these tended to prefer smaller class size. On the matter of programme awareness, it was found that 42% of the students got to know about the programme through their friends, 38% through advertisements in magazines, on television and in newspapers. Awareness through visits to institutions was reported by 12% while the remaining 8% got the information through family members and relatives.

Conclusions and Strategic Implications

Educational administrators should note that twinning education in Malaysia has become more complex and varied in nature over time. The techniques of managing twinning education therefore have to be continually updated. This is because it serves the needs

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of a fast-changing society, driven by rapid technological innovations and changing student preferences. One great advantage of cooperation between institutions in twinning programmes is the creation of mutual benefits. These benefits include systematised exchange of ideas, staff and students. Cooperation promotes a common standard in institutions of higher learning. It provides opportunities for suitable and relevant reforms in educational programmes. Some institutions of higher learning are utilising the academic linkage for the appointment of external examiners and assessors for the programme of studies, dissertations, and theses. This measure will help to ensure international academic and professional standards. Study fees have become the salient second factor for students in selecting their colleges. In comparing tuition fees between the countries involved, it was found that the fees imposed by the Australia universities were the lowest. In contrast, the tuition fees of the universities in United States were the most expensive. This explains why most of the college students prefer to take up Australian education. The price elasticity of demand is high and, given that the market is growing, a penetration-pricing strategy is suggested, since with a lower fee more students will enrol, thereby balancing out the lower margins. For those colleges that are currently strongly positioned in the market, a protective and defensive strategy is suggested. Competitive moves by other institutions could be pre-empted by introducing additional services appealing to the same market segment. The diversity of gender, age and ethnicity was noted above. These points must be kept in mind when addressing the issues of promotional strategies, since, given the multi-racial nature of Malaysian society, each of these is a different subsegment. Colleges must position themselves suitably to gain a competitive advantage. It was also found that 59% of respondents had chosen their respective colleges based on the short duration of study, in that almost all the colleges allow completion of the selected courses in 2–3 years. From this, it can be concluded that cost savings were not the main criterion for the students in selecting their respective programmes. Indeed, duration of study had been the most favourable factor for students in taking up such twinning programmes. A strategy that shortens the duration of the course, by giving the student an option to undertake subjects during the semester break, could be considered by colleges. However, there may be regulatory constraints, and quality must not be compromised by shortening course duration. To strengthen market image to attract student enquiries and admissions, colleges should focus on physical environment aspects and facilities. A better strategy for providing course and career information should be devised. Instead of using the common methods of promoting the programmes, it is recommended that the college should emphasise individual visits. For example, the admission representatives from the colleges should visit high schools and companies. This can be a useful method of recruiting students. Telemarketing is a popular marketing strategy adopted by many colleges. The institutions could develop an open telephone line for student recruitment and make use of several technologies available. Indeed, computer-assisted telephone techniques have become a useful tool in efforts to personalise the recruitment process and to respond to enquiries in a more timely fashion. Information should also be made available on the internet, which is becoming a popular source of information for students. Other strategies might be to encourage extracurricular activities such as organising societies and clubs for different races, and forming alumni associations. These could prove to be very valuable channels for distribution of information to potential students, families and peers.

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In overcoming the problems confronted by college students, general measures can be implemented by the institutions, especially in improving the quality of student–faculty interaction in the classroom. For example, lecturers should take the initiative to contact students the first day they miss a class. In the classroom, lecturers can provide students with course performance feedback and extra assistance to students who are facing study difficulties. The college principal should also take part in visiting classes once in a while, in order to observe the teaching effectiveness of the staff. The staff may also advise student organisations to participate in new student orientation activities, or host small groups of students in their homes for special occasions. They may also extend their office hours, have meals in the cafeteria with students or serve on committees with students. The colleges should emphasise the importance of teaching effectiveness by the teaching staff in order to enhance the quality of instruction, which in turn would promote student academic integration, and ultimately higher rates of retention. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The first author gratefully acknowledges the facilities support provided by the King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Saudi Arabia. M. Sadiq Sohail, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, College of Industrial Management, Department of Management & Marketing, PO Box 210, Dhahran-31261, Saudi Arabia. E-mail: [email protected] Correspondence:

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