By Asmahanim Amir
Pix Ikhwan Hashim

KUALA LUMPUR, 7 April 2015 – Public universities should step up productivity and efficiency if they want additional funding from government.

Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak said universities should step up productivity and efficiency, particularly in ensuring the marketability of their graduates.

“We emphasize on productivity and efficiency. It means if you want more (funds), universities must show better productivity and efficiency,” he said when launching The Malaysia Education Blueprint (Higher Education) 2015-2025 (PPPM-PT) here today.

Najib explained the government provided appropriate allocations for higher education and training, which are among the highest in ASEAN and several developed countries, such as Japan and South Korea.

On the PPPM-PT itself, Najib said it is not just a purely educational blueprint but is a new direction for Malaysian education.

“I am very interested in key points contained in the PPPM-PT. There are 10 thrusts  to be achieved, five aspiration systems that serve as objectives to implementation and focus on the characteristics of the student’s,” he said.

Najib said the blueprint which outlined 10 thrusts had the capacity to create human capital that could be categorised as talented, of a global standard and founded on positive values.

“First is talented. PPPM-PT focused on creation of talented students vital for a country to maintain its success,” he stated.

He said, the government is always trying to create students of a global standard because it can place Malaysia among the better countries of the world.

He said students based on positive values need to use knowledge for good, not for destruction.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Dato’ Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin announced the setting up of the Putrajaya Higher Education Committee, which he personally  will chair to ensure the vision of the plan is achieved.

Muhyiddin who is also Education Minister, said the University Transformation Programme based on the Government-Linked Companies Transformation Programme will also be launched soon.

The success of the blueprint depends on the commitment of all to implement it and there must be more engagement series with related parties especially the implementer groups to increase the chances of success.