KUALA LUMPUR – About 500 students from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT) are caught in a bind after the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) revoked accreditation for eight courses.
The affected programmes are: MBA in Project Management, Master of Science in Software Engineering, Master of Communication, MBA in Sport Management, MBA in Human Resource Management, MBA in Finance and Banking, MBA in Communication and Public Relations, and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Management.
This does not include previous programmes that have had their accreditation revoked, and to date, remain revoked, such as the Bachelor of Cloud Computing Technology (BCCT) programme.
The programme had provisional accreditation in 2014 and LUCT kept renewing it according to Chowdury Atiqur Habibur, an international student at LUCT.
Chowdury from Bangladesh said the provisional accreditation expired on May 20 this year and the programme has vanished from MQA’s list.
Local student Muhammed Ameer Fakhri, who had signed up for the Bachelor’s of Computer Science in Cloud Computing Technology (BCCT) in 2017 and paid RM47,500, was shocked when the provisional accreditation was revoked.
“BCCT is recognised by the Higher Education Ministry (MoHE), but not MQA.
“As a result, overseas universities, local and foreign employers will not give recognition to my BCCT from LUCT,” he said.
“There should be better enforcement and protection of the rights of students.
“I hope the MoHE takes note of what has happened and revises the law,“ Ameer added.
Mirza Shayan from Pakistan found his BCCT accreditation revoked – four-and-a-half years after he embarked on the course and had spent RM72,000 in fees.
I would like to know why and how a university is allowed to enrol international students when there is no guarantee that the university will successfully gain accreditation for its course.
“This is a loophole that is being exploited,” said Mirza, saying the MoHE should step up and step in.
Iranian Asal Tarmighi has spent the last three years pursuing her PhD in Management, and has had five supervisors, yet none she said had informed her about the revocation of accreditation.
“I had to find out for myself. There are more than 500 students stuck like me and eventually we have to go back as we cannot renew our visas due to the revocation of accreditation,” said Asal.
Asal said she wrote several times to MQA and eventually an officer called her and asked two questions: “Do you know your PhD course accreditation is fully revoked?” and “if LUCT had offered anything”.
An appointment with MQA on April 29 was cancelled without reason.
Students demand answers
In a letter dated April 12 to LUCT the students requested the following:
– Receive accreditation before graduation;
– LUCT must compensate students to the value of three times the tuition fees if it fails to get accreditation, and;
– All non-accredited students’ certificates need to be replaced with accredited ones.
According to Asal, LUCT informed affected students via email on April 13 that the college is liaising with the relevant authorities to meet full accreditation requirements.
LUCT said it would establish a new MBA programme with less than 30% in changes for the MBA in General Management, at no additional charge.
The matter was to have been resolved by April 15. However, he said there has been no further contact by LUCT.
Power of MQA Act 2007
Under Section 42(1) of the MQA Act 2007, MQA can revoke the certificate of provisional accreditation given to the higher education authority (HEI) and the HEI shall be given a period of 30 days to restore the revoked programmes.
Under Section 42(4), MQA can issue a warning and give directions for the HEI to rectify the situation.
However, if the HEI is unable to rectify the situation, the MQA Act 2007 does not provide any remedy.
Power given to MoHE
Former deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching feels the MoHE should exercise its power under Section 58, Act 555 of the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996 and direct the institution in question to take necessary steps to rectify the matter.
“MoHE may instruct the affected students to be shifted to other programmes accredited by MQA within the same institution or similar programmes at other institutions that are accredited. Any cost must be borne by the HEI,” she said.
After a month, MQA is yet to respond to queries. Likewise, Higher Education Minister Datuk Noraini Ahmad has also not responded.
LUCT council chairman and acting vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Raduan Che Rose said the matter is being resolved.
“The matter is in the process and we will get it done,” he said.
“LUCT is currently working with MQA and MoHE to sort out issues related to the accreditation of the eight programmes. Students are advised to continue with their studies as the accreditation process is on the way.
“As an institution with more than 30 years’ experience, we do not compromise with issues related to accreditation of programmes,” he added. – The Vibes, July 4, 2021
