LETTERS: Learning and teaching activities in higher education never stopped during the pandemic.
However, it will never be the same again. After 18 months of lockdown, students are finally returning to universities.
Many are excited to return to campus but not necessarily to classrooms.
Many feel that they are returning to the old system, which should be changed.
In a recent student webinar organised by the Malaysian Society for Higher Education Policy & Research Development (PenDaPaT), some students representing public and the private institutions shared their experiences and opinion.
Students want a change. They want a higher education system that caters to their needs.
They said institutions and policymakers must learn from the experience and knowledge gained in the last 18 months. They feel that if we do not change, higher education will regress.
They highlighted lessons from the 18 months of online learning, such as increased communication with lecturers, better ties with tutors, acquiring new skills and becoming more resilient.
The pandemic, they said, made lecturers more creative and innovative.
In addition, some students could communicate better with lecturers as they felt more comfortable with technology.
At the same time, they felt that this might not augur well for society in the long term.
While online learning has its advantages, the experience also demonstrated how much we need and yearn for everyday social bonds.
Institutions (and professional bodies) should not revert to the pre-pandemic mode, they said.
Instead, there is a need to change national and institutional cultures. Collaborative teaching and learning should be the way forward in the post-pandemic era for higher education.
Policymakers, institutional leaders and lecturers must adopt a culture of responsiveness for students to have a brighter future. Policymakers need to have trust in the system.
There are innovative and good practices and knowledge in the sectors, particularly concerning the use of technology.
The pandemic has shown the world that Malaysia has a higher education sector that is agile and innovative.
Therefore, the authorities should measure institutional success by looking at the outcomes and outputs and allowing institutions to flex their autonomy to boost the higher education sector.
The students are saying that Malaysia will have to restrategise to compete in a different global environment in the post-pandemic world.
They want the best of the traditional and digital words. There is a lot that needs to be done and now is not the time to rest.
Is Malaysia ready to take on this clarion call by our youths to face the needs of tomorrow?
ROZILINI MARY FERNANDEZ- CHUNG
Associate professor, University of Nottingham Malaysia
TAM KOK CHIAN
Assistant Professor, Heriot-Watt University of Malaya,
Members of the Malaysian Society for Higher Education Policy & Research Development
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times