MALAYSIA EYED AS EDUCATION DESTINATION

Malaysian universities may be the new preferred study destination for students in Fiji,” says Minister for Education Filipe Bole yesterday.

Speaking at the opening of the two-day exhibition Malaysian Higher Education Mr Bole said Fiji appreciated the assistance of the Malaysian Government for the development of higher education in Fiji.

He said a handful of Fiji students were already studying in Malaysian universities in diverse fields and many more were likely to follow each year.

“This presents a good opportunity to forge new links and to establish a new partnership between our two governments,” Mr Bole said.

“Particularly in the area of higher education and training we all regard as critical and fundamental to the sustained development of developing countries,” he said.

Mr Bole said if Malaysia was to become an alternative study destination, universities had to show the learning environment was equal or better than Australia and NZ.

He said Australia and NZ had been traditional learning destinations for students who wished to study overseas.

Mr Bole said students were to feel comfortable in the social, political and religious environment in Malaysian universities as they do in Australian and NZ universities.

Mr Bole highlighted three critical factors that would determine the number of students choosing Malaysia as a study destination.

The first, he said is the relevance of the programmes, the second is affordability and the third is the quality of the awards.

He said students education overseas would be determined by government policy, the demands of the job market in Fiji and subjects they perceive to be an area of potential growth.

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