Miri – 21 October 2010 – Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) today announced that the administrative process to finalise its self-accreditation status granted by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) in June this year has been completed.
As a result, all of Curtin Sarawak’s qualifications are now listed in the Malaysian Qualifications Register on the MQA website (www.mqa.gov.my) as proof of their conforming to the Malaysian Qualifications Framework and their accreditation by the Malaysian government.
Section 81 of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency Act 2007 (Act 679) provides that the MQA shall establish and maintain the Malaysian Qualifications Register as the reference point for accredited programmes awarded by higher education providers.
The Malaysian Qualifications Register provides information on programmes, qualifications and higher education providers accredited under the Act. It enables stakeholders to know, understand and make comparisons on features of qualifications and their relationships with other qualifications. It also contains information on the credit requirements of each qualification or programme, thus facilitating the credit transfer process.
“We are most pleased that our accredited qualifications are registered and available for reference to all stakeholders in the Malaysian Qualifications Register, and we will continue to ensure that all our programmes are validated and accredited within the prescribed qualifications framework in the country,” said Curtin Sarawak pro vice-chancellor and chief executive, Professor Ian Kerr.
He added that procedural and administrative issues outstanding from the time of granting of the self-accreditation status by Minister of Higher Education Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin in June this year have been resolved.
The Curtin Sarawak qualifications listed include the Bachelor of Arts (Mass Communication), Bachelor of Business Administration, and Bachelor of Commerce with single and double majors in various areas of study.
Engineering, science and technology qualifications listed are the Bachelor of Engineering with majors in Chemical Engineering and Electronic Communication Engineering; Bachelor of Science with majors in Applied Geology and Computer Science; and Bachelor of Technology majoring in Computer Systems and Networking.
Pre-university, professional and postgraduate qualifications listed are the Foundation Studies – Commerce & Arts Stream and Engineering & Science Stream; Diploma in Business and Diploma in Process Plant Technology; Graduate Certificate in Business, Graduate Diploma in Business, Master of Business Administration, Master of Philosophy, Master of Science (Project Management) and Doctor of Philosophy.
According to Professor Kerr, being granted self-accreditation status by the Ministry of Higher Education through the MQA is testimony to the high quality of the courses offered by Curtin Sarawak and proves its maturity and credibility as a higher education institution in Malaysia.
“It is testimony to the excellence of our teaching and learning, research output, staff calibre, and the quality of our graduates and their employability.
Coupled with the fact that our programmes are identical to those offered at Curtin’s main campus in Perth, and degrees earned at Curtin Sarawak are awarded directly by the main campus under the Australian Qualifications Framework, parents, students and employers are assured that our qualifications and their delivery are of the highest standards,” he said.
Professor Kerr added that most of Curtin Sarawak’s business courses, as well as all its engineering courses, are further accredited by professional bodies in Australia, Malaysia and other countries. They include the CPA Australia, Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Board of Engineers Malaysia, Engineers Australia and Institution of Chemical Engineers, United Kingdom.
“Self-accreditation is really the accreditation of an institution’s internal quality mechanisms, with all the processes and procedures for quality assurance,” Professor Kerr elaborated.
“At Curtin Sarawak, we are very committed to quality improvement and enhancement and have been very successful in the process of educating students within the framework of Curtin’s quality management system, and now the Malaysian qualifications framework as well.”
