Another 13 institutions set to implement new merit system

A total of 13 public universities in Malaysia plan to implement the new merit assessment system known as (Integrated Cumulative Grade Point Average - iCGPA) as early as next month bringing the total to 18.

The studies and development of this system were set in motion in 2009 through the collaboration of private companies and UiTM, in consultation with the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).

In September of 2015, 5 public universities became the first implementers of the iCGPA system, which made Malaysia the first nation to have a holistic evaluation system for graduates.

These universities were Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) and Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) and played an important role in the pilot stage.

Next month, a year after the pilot stage, the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Universiti Malaya (UM) will be among the 13 public institutions to adapt this system.

The iCGPA grading will report using the ‘Spider Web’ method, which will list students’ performance in 9 key areas:

• academic understanding
• academic skills
• critical and scientific thinking
• communication skills
• social skills, teamwork and humanity
• ethics, morality and professionalism
• information management and lifelong learning
• management and entrepreneurship
• leadership

According to the Minister of Higher Education Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, this system is in line with the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education) aiming to produce holistic, entrepreneurial and balanced graduates who possess the skills to excel in the employment market and/or have the skills to create their own influence on the nation’s economy by starting business, improving the job market and inspiring others to do so.

At each of the participating institutions, one academic programme/faculty will implement the system.

The Ministry of Higher Education expects all public higher learning institutions to implement the system in the near future, and that includes polytechnic and community colleges. However, three public universities are yet to confirm their participation.