Three Malaysian polytechnics awarded APACC accreditation

Three polytechnics have obtained accreditation from the Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission (APACC). These are:

• Politeknik Ungku Omar in Ipoh
• Politeknik Ibrahim Sultan in Pasir Gudang, Johor; and
• Politeknik Salahuddin Abdul Azziz Shah in Shah Alam

The three polytechnics were assessed according to a seven criteria set - governance and management, teaching and learning, faculty and staff, research and development, extension consultancy and linkages, resources and support for students.

Accreditation at APACC means that graduates of these three polytechnics have:

• greater mobility and their qualifications are mutually recognised in Asia and Pacific region
• more employable because employers are more confident to hire them
• access to funding support from donors and other lending agencies
• can transfer credits and enable access to higher learning opportunities

The APACC is under the Colombo Plan Staff College For Technical Education (CPSP) with a membership of 17 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Malaysia.

This year, four polytechnics have been proposed to go through the APACC accreditation process, namely Politeknik Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah in Kuantan, Politeknik Sultan Azlan Shah in Behrang, Politeknik Seberang Perai, Penang and Politeknik Kota Bharu, Kelantan.