KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Yes, the qualifications offered by the University of Malaya Centre for Continuing Education (UMCCed) are not recognised by the Public Service Department (PSD).

But this fact, said UMCCed acting director Datuk Mansor Md Isa, was made clear to the students.

In fact, he said, the students also had to sign a form which stated that these qualifications were not recognised by the PSD.

"We tell you that it is not PSD recognised and if you ask us if the course is accredited, we will tell you it is not," said Mansor, who took over as acting director of UMCCed in October.

The forms also state that "the programme of study is not listed as a qualification for entry to first degree programmes at local universities unless given special consideration by the university".
Mansor was responding to a New Sunday Times report last week which said qualifications offered by UMCCed were not recognised by the PSD or accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).

The MQA is responsible for quality assurance of higher education for both the public and the private sectors.

"We want to tell the public that just because they are in the workforce that does not mean their education is finished."

But why offer something that is not recognised by any national recognition body?

"We offer these courses for them to upgrade themselves and to provide them with knowledge which may help them increase their productivity."

He said the courses offered by UMCCed were somewhere between a full bachelor degree and full diploma.

"Our executive diploma ranges from 300 to 400 teaching hours and can be completed in one to one-and-a-half-years on a part-time basis.

"This serves the purpose of providing the students with knowledge and also allows them to complete it within a short time.

"The courses were designed to fulfil this need of the market. It was not designed for someone who wants to join the government service."

Why would anyone sign up for, for example, accounting when they would not be able to use this qualification to do their degree or join a professional body?

"There are various reasons why a person wants to learn accountancy.

"Someone in a different field might just want to learn basic bookkeeping.

"We cannot make them an accountant in just one or one-and-a-half-years.

"We can provide them with basic bookkeeping and accountancy knowledge."

The courses do not go through the university senate, said Mansor, as UMCCed has its own council and quality assurance practices.

"We set up a council consisting of the top management and selected professors from University of Malaya."

On whether UMCCed was a subsidiary of University of Malaya, Mansor said: "We are not a subsidiary of University of Malaya, we are not a company registered under the Companies Act and we are not a faculty.

"We are a unit under the University of Malaya established under the instruction of the university management, specifically for running short courses within the definition of continuous education."

Mansor added that some other universities had accepted UMCCed's diploma students into their degree programmes.

"Although we did not design these programmes as entry requirements, some universities are beginning to accept such qualifications and this should be added value for the students."

On the logo of University of Malaya as well as its name being used prominently on the top of the certificates awarded to the UMCCed students, Mansor said they had begun to use the name of the centre at the top of the certificates.