Kuching: DAPSY Sarawak Secretary George Lam has called on the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) to conduct a comprehensive quality audit of the relevant programmes at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus following a sharp increase in student enrolment under the Sarawak Government’s free tertiary education policy.
Lam said some programmes had reportedly seen student numbers rise from around 200 previously to more than 800, resulting in the university’s existing facilities being unable to accommodate students for physical classes.
He said Swinburne’s largest lecture hall could accommodate about 300 students, forcing some classes to be conducted fully online.
“I am also a graduate of Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak Campus. Before the implementation of the free tertiary education policy, each programme had a maximum of around 200 students at any one time.
“Following the implementation of the free tertiary education policy, student numbers have increased by more than four times, with more than 800 students attending the same class,” he said in a statement.
Lam also raised concerns over tutorials, which are traditionally conducted in smaller groups to allow students greater interaction and academic guidance.
He said some students had complained that larger tutorial groups and increased teaching workloads had affected the learning experience. At the same time, some lecturers had allegedly resorted to using pre-recorded COVID-19-era videos during online tutorials.
“This not only deprives students of real-time interaction and engagement with their lecturers but also compromises the quality of teaching,” he said.
Lam further highlighted accommodation and transportation concerns, saying some students had been forced to rent rooms farther from campus and walk through the congested Simpang Tiga area due to transportation costs, raising safety concerns.
He stressed that he supported free tertiary education but said affordability must not come at the expense of educational quality.
According to Lam, the MQA Code of Practice for Programme Accreditation, under the section concerning Education Resources, higher education institutions are required to ensure that student enrolment does not exceed their capacity and that sufficient and appropriate physical facilities are available to ensure that programmes can be effectively delivered.
“Clearly, the implementation of Sarawak’s free tertiary education policy has resulted in Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus facing a situation where its existing physical facilities may no longer be sufficient to accommodate the increased number of students,” he said.
Lam urged MQA to assess whether Swinburne’s programmes continue to meet accreditation standards and called on the Sarawak Government, through Yayasan Sarawak, to adopt a more open approach to its free tertiary education policy.
“The current limitation to only four universities in Sarawak should be expanded to include all eligible universities and colleges throughout Malaysia, allowing Sarawakian students to choose their preferred university and field of study.
“This would reduce overcrowding, ease pressure on existing facilities and give Sarawakian students greater freedom of choice,” he said.
He added that DAP Sarawak will continue to monitor the academic quality issues arising from the implementation of the free tertiary education policy.
“We must ensure that Sarawakian students genuinely benefit from this policy, rather than having to sacrifice the quality of education they deserve simply because it is ‘free’,” he said.
