Education Minister Maszlee Malik speaks during an open dialogue organised by the Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute in Sunway on February 14, 2019. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14 — Education Minister Maszlee Malik said today the ministry was working on the issue of over-regulation of private higher education institutions that had been going on for “far too long”.

In providing more quality education, he said, the most important enabler was increased autonomy and accountability of schools and institutions.

“The philosophy here is that schools, colleges, universities, districts and states would understand their own needs, strengths and weaknesses the best,” he said in his speech at the Open Dialogue on Malaysian Education organised by the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute, here.

Also present was ASLI chairman Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah.

Maszlee said the government was now shifting towards accountability-driven equity, where schools and institutions would be empowered with the skills and tools necessary to make the best decisions based on their own context. — Bernama