AsianScientist (Jan. 3, 2012) – On December 27, 2011, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed an official development assistance loan agreement with the Malaysian government to provide up to 6.697 billion yen (US$86.9 million) towards the Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT).
MJIIT is an academic institution established under Universiti Teknologi Malaysia to introduce Japanese-style engineering education in the country.
Based on an agreement between the two countries, the Malaysian government approved the project in May 2010 and the school opened in September 2011.
Funds for this project will be used for the procurement of educational and research materials and equipment, as well as consulting services.
23 Japanese universities are currently participating in this project, and a university consortium that develops instructor loan and fellowship programmes has been created.
JICA is also providing technical assistance in university operations, curriculum establishment and academia-government partnerships, and is dispatching a JICA expert as a deputy dean of MJIIT.
Since the latter half of the 1990s, institutions of higher education in Malaysia have been expanding, with enrollment increasing from 519,000 in 2005 to 820,000 in 2009.
While Malaysia’s manufacturing industry has been moving from conventional labor-intensive assembly and processing to knowledge-intensive industries, the country lacks the skilled manpower base required to support the shift.
MJIIT is expected to provide Japanese engineering education through the “Kohza” system built onto a core of laboratory activities, in line with Malaysia’s 2020 national development plan, Vision 2020, which is to expand the supply of human resources with advanced knowledge suited to the needs of industry, and especially to expand higher education.
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Source: Japan International Cooperation Agency.
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