What is the initiative and where is it implemented (city or country, for example)?
In 2010, the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education launched its Blueprint on Enculturation of Lifelong Learning for Malaysia (2011–2020) with the aim of incorporating lifelong learning into the daily lives of its citizens; lifelong learning being considered to be one of the three pillars of human capital development, alongside school and tertiary education. Implementing the initiative would mean taking a step towards prioritizing lifelong learning and forming a mainstream attitude towards education (ASEM Education and Research Hub for Lifelong Learning, 2018).
How was the initiative established? How was it implemented?
Malaysia’s strategy involves all sectors of its education system, including formal, non-formal, and informal institutions. The following strategies act as a basis for the blueprint:
- upgrade mechanism and infrastructure, which aims at coordination and monitoring of policies and programmes, at the same time increasing involvement of smaller organizations;
- enhance public awareness and involvement, focusing on promoting citizens’ lifelong learning;
- ensure continuity and appreciation, which tackles the issues of mobility and acceptance of learners;
- provide financial support, which is concerned with funds, taxes, loans and other means of obtaining financial resources to support the initiative (UIL, n.d.).
To ensure efficiency and optimal results, each institution involved in the strategy, including open and online universities, is required to focus on a specific niche area. They are moderated and reviewed regularly in order to ensure they meet contemporary challenges and function as a part of the larger initiative. Strategies to enculturate lifelong learning include the New Economic Model, with several reform initiatives primarily aimed at vocational training with potential economic development in response to increasing employment rates.
Other strategies include the National Higher Education Strategic Plan, which focuses, among other things, on improving accessibility to education, raising its quality, strengthening higher education institutions, and providing financial support for lifelong learning.
The strategic plan has six objectives attached to six instruments, with further elaboration on priority groups, incorporated activities and stakeholders (Guan Eng Chan et al., 2011; UIL, n.d.).
Which stakeholders are involved in the design and/or implementation of the initiative? Which sectors do they represent?
The initiative required a large number of stakeholders to implement the proposed strategies for lifelong learning successfully. Stakeholders responsible for the development and implementation of the strategy include the ministries of Education, Higher Education, Health, Youth and Sports, Tourism, and Agriculture, the Malaysian Qualifications Agency, the Department of Skills Development of the Ministry of Human Resources, the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services, and the Malaysian Trades Union Congress, as well as public and private education institutions, including community colleges, polytechnics, universities and open and distance learning institutions. Representatives of large- and smaller-scale businesses and the local community are also actively involved in the initiative (ASEM Education and Research Hub for Lifelong Learning, 2018; Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, 2011).
What are the impacts of the initiative in terms of facilitating lifelong learning? Whom does it benefit and how?
With the National Lifelong Learning Committee set up under the Education and Training Advisory Council emerged the possibility of formulating policies, standards and guidelines on financing and incorporating lifelong learning strategies. The flexibility of training programmes offered by various institutions provides citizens of all ages with an opportunity for lifelong learning, promoting inclusivity and sustainability. Improving education curricula and programmes, mediating collaboration between education and manufacturing spheres and promoting community engagement, Malaysia is developing its education system, facilitating research and improving the overall quality of life. Connections between employers and jobseekers, schools and the retail sector, and skill-based training programmes provide increasing opportunities for employment among youth and adults who have decided to change their sphere of interest or did not have a chance to be educated in earlier years. Action plans to promote lifelong learning among the citizens through various participatory activities increase awareness of educational opportunities and raise interest and engagement of local communities. The initiative of a Lifelong Learning Quality Assurance and Recognition Centre provides continuous analysis of the needs of the population, works on the distribution of resources for both learners and teachers, and establishes a quality assurance system (Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, 2011).
References
ASEM Education and Research Hub for Lifelong Learning, 2018. Malaysia – Blueprint on Enculturation of Lifelong Learning. [Online] Available at: https://asemlllhub.org/policy-briefs/malaysia-blueprint-on-enculturation-of-lifelong-learning/ [Accessed 16 April 2021].
Guan Eng Chan, Latifah Abdol Latif and Ramli Bahroom, 2011. Enculturation of lifelong learning: Perspectives from the New Economic Model. [Online] Available at: hhttp://library.oum.edu.my/repository/643/1/enculturation_guan.pdf [Accessed 27 July 2021].
Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, 2011. Blueprint on enculturation of Lifelong Learning for Malaysia. [Online] Available at: https://uil.unesco.org/i/doc/lifelong-learning/policies/malaysia-strategy-blueprint-on-enculturation-of-lifelong-learning-for-malaysia-2011-2020.pdf [Accessed 16 April 2021].
UIL, n.d. Malaysia: Blueprint on Enculturation of Lifelong Learning for Malaysia: 2020, issued in 2011. [Online] Available at: https://uil.unesco.org/document/malaysia-blueprint-enculturation-lifelong-learning-malaysia-2020-issued-2011 [Accessed 16 April 2021].
UIL, 2022. Making lifelong learning a reality: A handbook (Forthcoming). Hamburg, UIL.