Malaysia: Perspectives of University Governance and Management within the Academic Profession

Abstract

The chapter presents the recent transformations in Malaysia’s higher education policy and systems with a focus on the management and governance of universities. It discusses how academics are presently interpreting their university’s internal governance system, how power is distributed and the main traits of decision-making processes within this period of policy and system change. The chapter sets the context by reviewing the structure of the Malaysian university system and its governance, and moves on to provide some descriptive data on the composition of academic staff in Malaysian universities. This is followed by a brief description of the working conditions for academics in the universities. It proceeds by examining selected data in relation to the management and governance of universities. The results, as well as trends and issues in the changing pattern of governance and management of Malaysian universities, form the background for a discussion of the Malaysian academic profession in the university system.