Students Demand Action After Limkokwing Fails To Obtain Accreditation For Their Courses
"Without accreditation from MQA, our degrees are not recognised... This means that our tuition fees and time spent studying have all been in vain."
By May Vin Ang — 04 May 2021, 02:32 PM
Students are demanding action from Limkokwing University after claiming that many of the courses offered by the institution do not have accreditation or had their accreditation revoked
In a press conference held on Monday, 3 May, several student representatives raised that accreditation for their courses were revoked by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) for failing to maintain certain quality standards required by the authorities.
According to Malay Mail, the representatives said this has left some 800 foreign and local students questioning the validity of their academic certificates and worried about their future.
"Without accreditation from MQA, our degrees are not recognised locally and internationally. This means that our tuition fees and time spent studying, which ranged from three to five years for different courses, have all been in vain," said a student, as quoted by Malaysiakini.
In the students' statement, numerous bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctorate level courses may not be recognised
One of the students said the accreditation for his Master's in Business Administration (MBA) was revoked in 2019, and he was told by the university that he can finish the course but his degree may not be recognised in Malaysia for employment or further studies.
"As a professional educational institution, it is Limkokwing University's responsibility to ensure the accreditation of the courses. However, for the past few years... our efforts bear no fruit and we have only been given false promises and hollow assurances," the students said, according to The Malaysian Insight.
Therefore, the student representatives urged the university to pay immediate attention to their needs and to expedite the accreditation process.
"If it cannot do that, we will push for compensation," they said at the press conference organised by Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA).
Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching (second right) speaking to Limkokwing University students at the press conference.
Image via Teo Nie Ching (Facebook)Kulai Member of Parliament Teo Nie Ching suggests the university take corrective actions and immediately reapply for accreditation
"From last year (since the revocation) until now, remedy action has not been taken or if they have taken any, it's not good enough to persuade MQA to give [Limkokwing University] full accreditation. I hope that Limkokwing can sort this out for its students," said the former deputy education minister.
She said MQA would generally refuse or revoke accreditation of a course if it is not run according to the syllabus or if academic staff are not qualified, and urged the university to improve its standards.
The private university has since denied there are accreditation problems with all 98 of its academic courses
In a statement on Facebook after the press conference, Limkokwing University said it has only been required to amend and resubmit eight programmes for accreditation after a recent audit.
"We wish to reassure out students that there is no issue with the accreditation of the eight programmes, which we are confident will be put back on track."
