Higher education in Asian countries and the role of international ...
Higher education in Asian countries and the role of international ...
Higher education in Asian countries and the role of international ...
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Malaysia<br />
227<br />
In Malaysia all <strong>education</strong> sector has gone through many reforms, changes <strong>and</strong> new development<br />
to implement unified national <strong>education</strong> system based on s<strong>in</strong>gle national curriculum <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> use<br />
<strong>of</strong> national language as medium <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>struction <strong>in</strong> order to improve <strong>the</strong> accessibility with equity.<br />
As a result <strong>of</strong> effective reform Malaysia achieved universal primary <strong>education</strong> <strong>in</strong> 1990s.<br />
Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore to improve <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> <strong>education</strong> <strong>the</strong> curriculum reforms <strong>in</strong> 1980s, 1990s <strong>and</strong><br />
2000s have focused content-method-outcome approach <strong>and</strong> more importance was given to<br />
science <strong>and</strong> ICT <strong>education</strong>.<br />
In this regard, IGOs played a significant <strong>role</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> <strong>education</strong> sector <strong>in</strong> this<br />
country through capacity build<strong>in</strong>g measures <strong>in</strong>: vocational <strong>education</strong>, tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g, human resources<br />
plann<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> development, management, research, <strong>and</strong> higher <strong>education</strong>. Likewise <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>ancial<br />
assistance from <strong>the</strong> World Bank helped <strong>in</strong> accelerat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> implementation process <strong>of</strong> policy<br />
reforms <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitutional changes to improve <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> <strong>education</strong> (IAU 2011). In 1990s,<br />
many reforms were <strong>in</strong>troduced to upgrade <strong>the</strong> vocational <strong>and</strong> technical schools, to develop<br />
technical schools, to ensure <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> <strong>education</strong>al technologies <strong>in</strong> pedagogy, to launch new<br />
programs <strong>in</strong> science <strong>and</strong> technology <strong>and</strong> to encourage private sector to play its <strong>role</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
provision <strong>of</strong> quality higher <strong>education</strong>. In response to <strong>in</strong>creased market dem<strong>and</strong> <strong>education</strong> policy<br />
was reformed <strong>in</strong> 2003 <strong>and</strong> bil<strong>in</strong>gual <strong>education</strong> was permitted <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> English language <strong>in</strong><br />
teach<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> science <strong>and</strong> ma<strong>the</strong>matics started. To fur<strong>the</strong>r support <strong>the</strong> higher <strong>education</strong> sub-sector<br />
<strong>in</strong> 2004 a separate m<strong>in</strong>istry <strong>of</strong> higher <strong>education</strong> was created. In Malaysian nation‟s Vision 2020<br />
program has fur<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>creased <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> higher <strong>education</strong>.<br />
Myanmar (Burma)<br />
The ris<strong>in</strong>g dem<strong>and</strong> for “development based <strong>education</strong>” is one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> driv<strong>in</strong>g forces beh<strong>in</strong>d <strong>the</strong><br />
reforms <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>education</strong> system at all levels <strong>and</strong> all fields <strong>in</strong> Myanmar. Dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> twentieth<br />
century, basic <strong>education</strong>, vocational <strong>and</strong> technical <strong>education</strong> rema<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>the</strong> priority areas <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
government to achieve socio-economic development <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> country. For <strong>the</strong> last two decades, <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>education</strong> <strong>in</strong> Myanmar has gone through a series <strong>of</strong> reforms, restructur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> reorganization to<br />
align <strong>education</strong> with changed societal needs. In 1991 Myanmar Na<strong>in</strong>g Ngan Education<br />
Committee was formed to work on <strong>education</strong>al policies <strong>and</strong> plans <strong>in</strong> order to improve<br />
quantitative <strong>and</strong> qualitative aspects <strong>of</strong> <strong>education</strong>. In 1992, reforms were <strong>in</strong>troduced to fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />
promote vocational <strong>education</strong> <strong>and</strong> skilled-based literacy. The 1998 <strong>education</strong> reforms focused <strong>the</strong>