Hirearki Kehidupan

PUTRAJAYA: The much-awaited announcement has finally arrived and three polytechnics have been selected as the nation’s premier polytechnics.

The three institutions chosen are Politeknik Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah in Shah Alam (Selangor), Politeknik Ungku Omar in Ipoh (Perak) and Politeknik Johor Baru (Johor).

Higher Education Ministry director-general Datuk Imran Idris made the brief announcement after Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin launched the ministry's Polytechnic Transformation Plan.

The event bearing the tagline “Transforming Lives” is part of a grander scheme to restore public confidence in local polytechnics.

The three premier polytechnics are said to focus on technical programmes in niche fields which address the needs of the services industry.

A press statement by the ministry read that with the green light to enrol foreign students in the near future, it is hoped that premier polytechnics will foster the internationalisation of local knowledge, innovation and technology applications to other countries – especially in developing nations.

Centres of technology which serve as hubs of reference, research and international collaboration will also be established in the premier polytechnics.

To ensure that quality is upheld, the premier polytechnics will be benchmarked against renowned technical institutions such as the Faschoschule in Germany, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Norway and France.

The ministry has also introduced a “star rating system” which identifies the strengths and weaknesses of polytechnics.

The transformation plan will also see the ministry upgrading the enrolment capacity of polytechnics.

Many courses which cater to the needs of the services industry are in the pipeline and the ministry is targeting a polytechnic enrolment of 119, 000 students by 2015 through this initiative.

To upgrade the quality of polytechnics, diploma and higher diploma programmes will be given priority and certificate-level courses will no longer be offered from the July 2010 academic intake.

The ministry has targeted an increase of diploma students to 87, 440 in 2012 – a 30% increase from the 2009 figure of 60, 840.

The transformation plan will also benefit the academic staff in polytechnics.

It has been targeted that 34% of polytechnic teaching staff should receive at least a basic degree in their field of specialisation.

The need to transform the local polytechnic landscape was first announced by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin in his New Year’s address to his staff on Jan 12.

Mohamed Khaled, who was also present at the event said in his speech that the transformation plan is to make polytechnics the preferred choice of students – not a “second chance route” which is commonly perceived now.