Malaysian Qualifications Agency

Malaysian Qualifications Agency
Malaysian Qualifications Agency
Abbreviation MQA
Type GO
Legal status Statutory body
Purpose/focus Educational accreditation
Headquarters Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Region served Malaysia
Chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Mohamed Salleh Mohamed Yasin
Parent organization Ministry of Higher Education
Website http://www.mqa.gov.my

The Malaysian Qualifications Agency (Agensi Kelayakan Malaysia) or the MQA 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 role of MQA

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:[1]

  • To implement MQF as a reference point for Malaysian qualifications
  • To develop standards and credits and all other relevant instruments as national references for the conferment of awards with the cooperation of stakeholders
  • To quality assure higher education institutions and programmes
  • To accredit courses that fulfil the set criteria and standards
  • To facilitate the recognition and articulation of qualifications
  • To maintain the Malaysian Qualifications Register (MQR)

The MQA also evaluates foreign qualifications and assesses it for equivalency with Malaysian secondary school and university preparatory qualifications.[2]

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.[3] 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 legislations 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 also 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 enrollment of non-Malay and non-Bumiputra students by virtue of Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia.[4]

The Registration of Schools Ordinance 1950 provided for the registration of privately owned educational institutions providing post secondary or higher education. Subsequent legislations 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.[5]

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 coordinate the quality assurance system in public institutions of higher learning.[6]

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[7] and this eventually saw the adoption of the MQF in 2007.

Establishment of the MQF

On November 1, 2007, both 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

References

  1. ^ Malaysian Qualifications Agency: MQA In Brief
  2. ^ ibid Nilai Taraf Kelayakan Akademik Luar Negara yang Setara dengan SPM/STPM (in Malay)
  3. ^ Education Act 1996: Article 2 of the Act
  4. ^ Universiti Teknologi Mara Act 1976: Article 1A and 3A of the Act
  5. ^ Education Act 1996 Refer to Article 77 of the Act
  6. ^ Ministry of Higher Education: Quality Assurance Division - About Us
  7. ^ Ministry of Higher Education: Quality Assurance Division - Position Paper for a National Qualifications Framework

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Malaysian Qualifications Framework — The Malaysian Qualifications Framework (Malay: Kerangka Kelayakan Malaysia) 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),… …   Wikipedia

  • Malaysian Skills Certification System — The Malaysian Skills Certification System (Malay: Sistem Persijilan Kemahiran Malaysia) is a skills and work based certification system in Malaysia that is achieved through assessment and training. Candidates can receive Malaysian Skills award if …   Wikipedia

  • Ministry of Higher Education (Malaysia) — Ministry of Higher Education Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi The Federal Government of Malaysia Logo of the Ministry Of Higher Education …   Wikipedia

  • Diploma mill — A diploma mill (also known as a degree mill) is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to… …   Wikipedia

  • Higher education accreditation — is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of post secondary educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met. If standards are met, accredited… …   Wikipedia

  • Educational accreditation — is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of an educational institution or program are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met. Should standards be met, accredited status is… …   Wikipedia

  • Akademischer Grad — Akademische Grade sind ein System von Abschlussbezeichnungen, die von Hochschulen aufgrund eines erfolgreich abgeschlossenen Studiums oder aufgrund einer besonderen wissenschaftlichen Leistung vergeben werden. Ein akademischer Grad wird nach… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Wee Ka Siong — Infobox Politician honorific prefix = Yang Berhormat Timbalan Menteri name = Dr Wee Ka Siong (Chinese : 魏家祥) width = height = caption = residence = Johor Bahru, Johor death date = death place = office = Deputy Education Minister I of Malaysia… …   Wikipedia

  • Melaka Manipal Medical College — Infobox University name = Melaka Manipal Medical College native name = Kolej Perubatan Melaka Manipal motto = Inspired by Life established = September 1997 type = Private medical college chancellor = president = Dr Ramdas Pai campus = Melaka… …   Wikipedia

  • Malacca Manipal Medical College — Melaka Manipal Medical College Kolej Perubatan Melaka Manipal Motto Inspired by Life Established September 1997 Type Private medical college …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”