| In a rapidly globalizing economy, Malaysia has embarked on a new phase of economic development; since the 1997 economic crisis, the Malaysian government has placed more emphasis on developing a sufficiently skilled workforce to compete in the world. High education, especially transnational education programs, plays a crucial role in providing diverse programs that meet the market demand. These transnational programs have been attracting international students with an aim to gain the international currencies. The market of transnational education, however, is getting more competitive than ever despite the governmental efforts.; To identify the current status and challenges of transnational education in Malaysia, semi-structured interviews were conducted in the context of a case study at the Ministry of Higher education of Malaysia, Malaysian Association of Private Universities and Colleges, and two school programs; the relevant documents were also used to address the research questions. The conceptual framework applied to understand the dynamics of complexities of transnational education in Malaysia focuses on the world system theory in higher education.; The researcher found that the current expansion of transnational education is economically driven to gain financial profits in the short span by attracting international students to Malaysia. What emerged as a challenge is that transnational education and competition in the international education market are now forcing Malaysia to develop its own capacities of research and teaching, and branding of their education at the national and institutional level to make the growth of transnational education sustainable in the long run. This incentive in capacity-building will also enable Malaysia to make their local education effective. The researcher also identified some policy changes and capacity-building support that need to be initiated by the Malaysian government. The researcher also identified that increased competition in the field of international higher education has brought about more players and competitors such as local agents and other new countries and institutions that are offering similar transnational programs. Such economic focus on transnational education and new players make the center-periphery dynamics more complex in higher education in a country like Malaysia in transition. |
