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MEETING WITH THE DELEGATION FROM THE MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Admin
April 24, 2022

Today I met with the delegation from the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) led by YB Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad, Minister of Higher Education at the Royal Johor Polo Club. Also present in the meeting were Dato’ Seri Abdul Razak Jaafar, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Higher Education and Prof. Dato’ Dr. Husaini Omar, Director-General of the Ministry of Higher Education.

I have suggested for the revival of Persatuan Mahasiswa Anak Johor in all local universities. This will be a platform for Johor students to carry out various activities and programmes while sharing their ideas and opinions. These associations will be part of the larger Gabungan Mahasiswa Anak Johor (GAJ). New activities and events will also be organised under GAJ such as inter-university football tournament.

I also hope that Johor will become a preferred local and international education hub. There is a need for more quality and affordable tertiary education opportunities to be given specifically to local students. Johor also needs a forward-looking higher education policy which includes incorporating the use of experiential learning to inculcate 21st century skills. The design and delivery of education modules needs to leverage cutting-edge technology to enable more personalized learning. At the same time TVET education must be also given priority to generate more skilled workers for various industries and improve graduates’ employability.

There are many graduates who are currently unemployed and local university fresh graduates’ starting salary level has been low, indicating their low marketability and a mismatch between the demand and supply of skills. This issue is not just an impact of the pandemic, but a systemic problem that has been around for many years. Currently the number of university students graduating exceeds the number of available jobs. If we do not address this issue immediately there will be a growing population of “educated but jobless” youth. These issues need to be addressed quickly and systemically to help our graduates improve their future employability. The Minister has assured me that the ministry is looking into these issues at the moment.

The first movement control order (MCO) two years ago caused a huge disruption for both varsity students and lecturers due to the abrupt shift to online learning. Issues such as limited access to smart devices and poor Internet connection caused many students to struggle and led to low self-motivation. The divide between the privileged and the less fortunate university students has widened in the past two years, where the more privileged students are way ahead in obtaining valuable education. Post pandemic, while returning to physical based teaching, universities and educators must keep in mind that the impact of the 2 years of online learning is different for the privileged compared to the less fortunate. Efforts must be made to cater for this difference and ensure the less fortunate students are not left behind.

I hope all Johor students continue to work hard and excel in public universities. The growth of skilled human capital across Johor is crucial for the development of an internationally competitive and innovative workforce which will help spur higher-value-added economic activities. This in return will create higher income jobs for our graduates.

Allah Peliharakan Sultan

HRH Major General Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Crown Prince of Johor

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