Athens (Ohio), Nov 13 – The University of Ohio can contribute towards efforts to turn Malaysia into a regional hub for higher education by offering certain programmes or courses through strategic relations with more local universities in South-east Asia.
The matter was raised during discussions between Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the president of the University of Ohio, Roderick J.
McDavis in conjunction with the visit of the Malaysian leader to the university campus, here Tuesday.
“Earlier, we discussed the direction and future relations between the Ohio University and Malaysia besides the Tun Abdul Razak Chair and the Malaysian Resource Centre which exists at the university.
“We said that it was time for the University of Ohio to enhance relations in the form of (offering) specific programmes that can be carried out in Malaysia in areas where the university has the expertise,” he told Malaysian journalists at the conclusion of his visit to the United States.
Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, drew attention to the fact that many foreign universities such as from the United Kingdom and Australia had decided to set up their branches in Malaysia in line with the country’s efforts to become an educational hub.
However, the offers for specific programmes and courses by the foreign universities in Malaysia can help to achieve a common goal, said Muhyiddin who left Ohio after concluding his working visit to the state on Tuesday. He had arrived in Ohio on Saturday.
Such measures, he said, could nurture understanding at the international level through the education sector.
In addition, he pointed out that the level of education offered in Malaysia was good, and this could be seen from the presence of tens of thousands of foreign students pursuing studies at the private and public institutions of higher learning.
During his visit today, Muhyiddin had delivered a keynote address when launching the Malaysian Outreach Programme @ Ohio University : Celebrating Five Decades of Strategic Cooperation.
Commenting on the contents of his speech which, among others, called on more students from the United States to make Malaysia as their destination to acquire knowledge and carry out research, he said it was not merely a question of raising the number of students.
“This also enables the foreigners to understand the thinking, culture, history and civilisation of the Eastern community and excellence not only in Malaysia but also this region,” said Muhyiddin.
He said that the same was also true with the sending of Malaysian students abroad including to the United States which helped them to understand the style of thinking and the civilisation of the community here.
On the sending of young graduates to Malaysia from the United States for the Fullbright English Teaching Assistants (ETA) programme, the Deputy Prime Minister said the feedback received showed that it was most effective in terms of raising proficiency of the language among students.
“Students in Malaysia are rather shy to talk to their (local) teachers in the English language, but when the teachers come from America, it is easier to communicate, so the level of proficiency in the English language rises,” he said.
Besides visiting the Malaysian Resource Centre located at the Vernon R. Alden Library building at the university, Muhyiddin also launched the magazine ‘Suara’ published by the Tun Abdul Razak Chair.
Among other things, it focuses on the reasearch carried out by the 21 Malaysian students currently studying at the University of Ohio.
– Bernama
