Afew days ago, I was catching up with an old friend and the conversation went on to his concern for his daughter’s education. She is currently in her senior year at high school and he was keen for her to go to a private-education provider. 

My friend was picking my brains and experience in the education industry on how best he should navigate this seemingly complex exercise of choosing a suitable institution for his daughter. There was no doubt that this would be a big investment for him and it was only natural that he would want to find a most suitable college — plus one with the best bang for his buck.

According to a study presented by a think tank — the Penang Institute in 2015 — private-education providers were home to 484,963 (42%) of the 1,156 293 students in higher education providers in Malaysia in 2013 (See Chart 1 — Private Higher Education in Malaysia, Avoiding a hidden crisis). 

A quick search on the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (www.mqa.gov.my) register of private institutions listed 386 private colleges, 25 university colleges and 71 universities (See Chart 2). 

In their challenge to increase their student enrolment and overall student population, the marketplace is abuzz with numerous education fairs and advertisements. How do we cut through these marketing fluff in order to select the suitable institution for your child? 

Lecturers’ profile

No amount of course development, accreditation, business awards, advertisements etc can replace good teaching staff. 

To a prospective student/parent, the two most important factors would be a lecturer’s experience and their teaching delivery (ability to impart knowledge effectively and interestingly), as well as their experience in the particular field that they are teaching. 

I have come across numerous lecturers with excellent advance degrees from reputable overseas institutions but the point to note is that the relationship between academic achievements and teaching ability is not usually linear. This is not to say we should ignore their academic credentials. 

Rather, lecturers need to possess a good teaching methodology; they need to be creative and innovative in adapting their teaching to students from different backgrounds. The end result would be to ensure that the desired learning outcomes are achieved. 

Lecturers would also need to be experienced and up-to-date in the subjects that they teach. 

It is always wise to ask for some of the key lecturers’ profile — for the particular course that you are looking at. You would need to look out for a good mix of teaching experience, industry experience, research experience and academic strength across the spectrum of lecturers for the course.

Reputation

Before we all get drown out in the massive advertising campaigns of these private institutions, let us remember that these institutions exist for the very purpose of profit. 

Reputation is something that can be very subjective and it would be useful to ask around professional people in a field that your child would be interested in in order to get to know their thoughts. Comments from graduates of the institution that you are keen on to sending your child to would help in the decision-making process as well. In this digital age, a simple online search and read-through of the various different forum boards about education would provide a lot of information and opinions from different people.

Staff-to-student ratio

We need to look at two types: teaching staff and non-teaching staff. Every course has an ideal and optimum class size so that the lecturers are able to teach and guide the students effectively. 

No one can teach effectively when they are being overwhelmed with large classes. So go on and ask the potential institution what is the lecturer-to-student ratio in lectures and also in tutorials. Generally, a low staff-to-student ratio would ensure a better learning experience for a student and a positive teaching experience for the lecturer.

Non-teaching staff is an important aspect of the entire student experience. From marketing to admissions, to student services, to laboratory staff and librarians, there has to be a good and comfortable number of staff to effectively deal with all the students. 

Industry linkages

Now this is a “hot” marketing tag line in the local private institutions of higher learning. 

How do we define industry linkages? Is it by the number of successful internship places? Or simply by the fact that the institution is keeping in touch with the industry and getting some senior managers to give a talk to the students occasionally? 

I think we ought to look deeper for a more meaningful definition of industry linkages. Having many companies on the list of the institution’s industry register — of which all these students from the institution are sent to provide cheap or even free labour during an internship — would not mean much, though it may provide the much needed gloss during the marketing of the college. 

We have to look at the value that a respective industry or a large multinational corp attaches to students from a certain institution. Specific questions like “what is the percentage of accounting graduates currently employed with a graduate pay scale with a Big Four accounting firm” would be more enlightening. 

Or when someone mentions that students are being employed within three months upon graduation, it would help if you were to ask to see the data that this conclusion is based upon. You should also look at the parameters and sample size of the survey conducted. The rule of thumb is to be sceptical. 

Campus facilities

This is an obvious thing but one that sometimes is usually taken at face value. Do not just look at the glossy brochures and the environment from the outside. It would be a good idea to check out the computer labs/relevant facilities and the specifications (hardware and software) as well as the studios and lecture halls. 

A good library with an extensive range of books, good learning space and facilities, with good subscriptions of online materials, ranks highly on my list.  Besides the learning facilities, it would be good to check out the availability of spaces for self-learning, group discussions, catering, accommodation, sports and student activities.

Private higher education is no doubt a big investment for your child’s future and it is only right that the necessary due diligence is done before committing to it. As a learned friend once said: “You can never be too careful. It is my hard-earned money investing in the future of my precious child.”

Richard Teng ([email protected]) is a business development specialist who has worked for both private and public institutions of higher learning in Malaysia, Singapore and the UK. He is a firm believer in Nelson Mandela’s: “Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world”.