I refer to media reports of a recent statement by Minister of Education II, Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh, who has made the incredulous boast that Malaysia’s higher education is world-class and on par with developed nations such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia.
As pointed out by my colleague Dr Ong Kian Ming in his statement yesterday, the 2014 QS World University Rankings reveals that Malaysian universities cannot even compare to those from the UK, Germany and Australia. The UK, for example, has 19 universities in the top 100 including four in the top 10, while Australia has eight universities ranked within the top 100. Meanwhile, Germany has three in the top 100. In contrast, Malaysia is not represented in the top 100, with Universiti Malaya (UM) being the only Malaysian university that made it into the top 200 at 151st place.
Who exactly are the foreign students in Malaysian universities?
Idris Jusoh’s outrageous suggestion is based on his assertion that there are reportedly 135,000 foreign students in Malaysia, which makes up 10 per cent of total students currently enrolled in higher education institutions throughout the country.
It is perhaps interesting to delve into the origins of these foreign students that make up this number.
The Ministry of Education’s latest statistics based on the Perangkaan Pendidikan Negara: Sektor Pengajian Tinggi 2013 reveal that the top countries of origin for foreign students in Malaysian universities are as follows:
| Country of origin (public universities) | Number of students | Country of origin (private universities) | Number of students |
| Iran | 5,009 | China | 4,398 |
| Indonesia | 3,942 | Nigeria | 3,134 |
| China | 2,382 | Indonesia | 4,059 |
| Iraq | 1,854 | Iran | 3,593 |
| Yemen | 1,726 | Pakistan | 2,084 |
| Nigeria | 1,692 | Yemen | 2,200 |
| Libya | 1,226 | Bangladesh | 1,382 |
| Bangladesh | 1,060 | Sudan | 1,750 |
| Pakistan | 867 | Sri Lanka | 1,271 |
| Thailand | 799 | Botswana | 1,143 |
Table: Foreign students’ countries of origin
As is quite obvious from the list above, the majority of international students in Malaysia do not come from advanced countries but instead from the developing world, whose own universities are far inferior.
One-way student migration from Malaysia to UK, Germany and Australia
Contrary to the minister’s claims that our universities are on par with British, German and Australian ones, his own ministry’s statistics clearly prove that the relationship between Malaysia and our so-called peers is strictly one-way.
According to the same statistical document, 28,869 or more than one third of Malaysian students abroad in 2013 are studying in the UK (15,020 including Ireland), Germany (452 despite the language barrier) and Australia (13,397).
On the flip side, the number of British, German and Australian students in Malaysian universities is so negligible that these countries do not even make it into the list of top 35 countries of origin for international students in Malaysia.
We cannot even compare to Singapore
In truth, we should not even be comparing our universities to those in the UK, Germany and Australia when we cannot even compare to our neighbours Singapore. In terms of ranking, the National University of Singapore, which shares its genesis with UM, has left its “sister” far behind, placing 22nd in the world and first in Asia.
And if we are to use Idris Jusoh’s argument of foreign student enrolment as an indicator of quality, then the minister’s boast of achieving 10 per cent foreign student enrolment is nothing when Singapore had 21 per cent foreign students in 2012.[1] In fact, the Singapore Government has now imposed a cap in order to reduce the international student intake to 15 per cent in order to give more places to locals.
In other words, the demand for places at Singaporean universities is extremely competitive, not least amongst Malaysian students, which number 3,016 in Singapore. In contrast, there are only 606 Singaporean students in Malaysian universities, despite the fact that we have many more colleges and universities.
Instead of making empty boasts, Idris Jusoh should instead reflect upon why Malaysian students are competing for places in foreign universities instead of choosing to study locally. Clearly, the minister is dreaming if he thinks Malaysian universities are world-class, especially when there are hardly any Singaporean, British, German or Australian students in Malaysia compared to the tens of thousands of Malaysians studying in those countries.