The National Council on Higher Education (the Council) is the policymaking component of the higher education system in Malaysia. The statute establishing the Council, the National Council on Higher Education Act, is the only unifying instrument in an utterly diverse system that has at least four different acts of parliament regulating the establishment and governance of higher education institutions. Each set of laws manifests a different purpose and a different governance model. None pays any heed to the actual delivery of higher education or to student interests. The Council was to have played a coordinating role in focusing on policies and strategies for the development of higher education. However, despite its important role, the Council has not been active for over 10 years. Without the Council to coordinate policies, higher education in the country will continue to be pulled in different directions with no prospect for a unified approach to the development of this most important engine of human development.
