KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23 — The government has pledged to be extra bold in changing the higher education system to prepare students in facing the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0).

To this end, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said the ministry had become the first, globally, to initiate many higher education programmes, and not afraid to go further.

“There is no I-CGPA (integrated cumulative grade point average) in the world or at Oxford, Cambridge or Stanford, only in Malaysia, we are bold enough to challenge the student assessment system in the world. Many lecturers have questioned why we must do this, it’s because we are bold enough.

“There is no 2U2I in the world, only in Malaysia; CEO@Faculty programme, none in the world, only in Malaysia; APEL (accreditation of prior experiential learning), a student without a degree can do Master’s degree recognised by Sloan Business School..the government has done a lot of things,” he told reporters.

He was met after opening the Malaysia Higher Education Forum 2017 organised by the ministry with the tagline, ‘Redesigning Education for Industry 4.0’.

On future programmes being developed by the ministry in facing Industry 4.0, Idris said the ministry was currently collecting input from various stakeholders to prepare a framework on Education 4.0.

“So that it will be in line with the needs of Industry 4.0, Education 4.0.. that will translate into the requirements of Industry 4.0 in the form of education.

“That’s why I said earlier (during speech) that we need to teach by doing, not by lecturing, teaching by challenging, by asking questions, that is what Industry 4.0 is all about, where we need to be more innovative, creative and open,” he said.

On the forum, Idris noted that it would be a platform where points from presentations and discussions among the participants comprising experts from different fields and graduates would be used to redesign the higher education system in the country.

“We already have our blueprint that we prepared for two years…it’s a thick blueprint and I say it’s one of the best in the world.

“But we still need to listen, that’s why we have this forum today, hear the views of the experts..we will listen and we will translate,” he said. — Bernama