KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 6 — The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) is set to undergo a paradigm shift by placing emphasis on the immediate implementation of policies and programmes in response to the challenge from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for the nation’s higher education institutions (IPT) to transform and compete globally.

Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir said it is time for IPTs to break away from traditional practices and act more swiftly and decisively to ensure that the country’s higher education sector does not fall behind.

"We don’t have time to stick to usual routines and just go with the flow, especially when there are tasks that can be promptly executed,” he said after the closing of the MoHE Strategy Discourse here today.

He said this when asked to comment on Anwar’s challenge to intellectuals and university leaders to undergo a paradigm shift in facing the post-normal world challenges to ensure that the country stays competitive.

On the two-day discourse, Zambry said that the outcomes of discussions among IPTs, industry players, and related stakeholders would be utilised by MoHE to set work targets for the current year.

"It also provides us with the opportunity to strengthen planned initiatives by considering external opinions on MoHE’s existing programmes and plans,” he added.

In addition, Zambry said that MoHE would continue the policies and plans established previously, whether at the university, polytechnic or community college levels. — Bernama