Xiamen University Malaysia: a Chinese Branch Campus
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INTERNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION Number 95: Fall 2018 9 ly be slower by only investing in domestic institutions. As ith typical Chinese speed, the fourth and newest such, it could advance Egypt’s effort to be home to several Wcampus of Xiamen University (XMU), about 45 km top-ranked universities. outside of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has completed its first phase of development. This project was initially drafted in Implications for IBCs to Consider 2012, began in 2014, and started its second phase in Novem- Proponents argue that New Cairo is an important symbol ber 2017. Among the ten international branch campus uni- of Egypt’s future and a beacon for new investment. Critics versities in Malaysia, Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) worry that relocating the wealthier members of society to occupies the largest campus with a total gross floor area of the new city and focusing IBCs in New Cairo will accentu- 470,000 square meters, represents the largest overall in- ate social class inequity. vestment (about RMB 1.5 billion, mostly by Xiamen Univer- Egypt is also a fluid and dynamic policy and political sity—which corresponds to over US$37million), and is 100 environment. Policies created today can be undone tomor- percent owned by XMU. The branch campus celebrated its row. Recruiting an IBC can expand capacity, be structured opening ceremony on February 22, 2016, and currently op- to align with economic initiatives, and serve as a means to erates 15 programs, enrolling about 1,720 Malaysian, 950 raise global rankings and recruit international students. Chinese, and 30 other international students. It is expected However, what happens when the academic ethos of critical that in five years’ time the total number of students will be inquiry and free expression that contributed to the success 5,000. of the home campus run into conflict with efforts by the host country to curtail such freedoms in the broader envi- ronment? Universities setting up IBCs elsewhere have accepted The increase of international student such compromises when choosing to operate in similar en- flows into Malaysia over the years has vironments, often arguing that it is easier to help change a society from within than from without. Indeed, IBCs can proven the plan’s effectiveness in the be embassies of knowledge and demonstration sites where context of the growing competition of academic freedom can be allowed to be experimented with the global education market. and fostered separate from the constraints in the broader environment. However, such activities must be taken on carefully and often at some risk to the individual and the institution. This risk becomes heightened when in a dy- International Education, Commercialization, and Com- namic policy environment that allows for unchecked bans petition in Malaysia on parts of the internet and where foreign establishments Before XMUM was founded, the Malaysian government can as quickly go from being welcomed to being banned. invited three Australian and six British universities to es- Whether elite institutions will risk Egypt’s shifting sands is tablish branch campuses in various Malaysian states. These hard to say; it may all depend on whether they see rewards initiatives were based on a strategic plan called “the Interna- outweighing risks. tional Education Base of Asia,” which started around 1990. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6017/ihe.2018.95.10682 The 1990s were an era during which the Malaysian econ- omy began looking for new pathways rather than selling traditional natural resources. The increase of international student flows into Malaysia over the years has proven the plan’s effectiveness in the context of the growing competi- Xiamen University Malaysia: tion of the global education market. In particular, XMUM enrolls top quality international students; the Chinese stu- A Chinese Branch Campus dents enrolled are Gao Kao Yi Ben Sheng (top level students of the national entrance examination of China). According Guo Jie to local education experts, it is the first time in history that Malaysia has attracted this number of Yi Ben Sheng from Guo Jie is director of the International Office and lecturer, Xiamen Uni- China, whose overseas study plans used to include only the versity Tan Kah Kee College, P.R.China. Dr. Guo has participated in United States, Britain, Australia, and other western coun- the founding process of Xiamen University Malaysia since 2012. E-mail: tries. [email protected] IHE #95 Sept. 11 2018 SK update.indd 9 9/11/18 8:22 AM 10 Number 95: Fall 2018 INTERNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION The Malaysian strategic plan has created mutual ben- Education Consensus within ASEAN and China efits for both Malaysia and the majority of the participating The Bologna Process has deeply affected the educational international universities, as it has promoted the commer- systems of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations cialization of education and stimulated strong competition (ASEAN) and of China, in particular its ECTS system between universities. As requested by the Malaysian gov- (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System). In ernment, international branch campus universities are pri- 2007, ASEAN countries reached a consensus on degree vate universities that charge high and continually rising tu- and credit recognition. In 2016, with the rapid develop- ition fees (generally RM 42,000 to 48,000 per year). Local ment of economic activities, ASEAN and China agreed to private universities, mostly opened by Chinese–Malaysians, broaden the earlier agreement in order to promote higher charge one-half to two-thirds of that amount, but none has education and cultural exchanges. With its ten international gained world-ranking status. Malaysian public universities branch campuses, Malaysia is one of the leaders within the have low tuition fees and provide quality education with ASEAN region in terms of exchanges. higher employability, but the system has privileged the ad- A successful model can be copied, and other coun- mission of Malay students, maintaining enrollment quotas tries in the region are attempting to emulate Malaysia’s for all other nationalities. This uneven quota system has approach. Since 2007, Vientiane has authorized Suzhou triggered a period of rise and decline of private universi- University (China) to operate in Laos. In 2016, Thailand in- ties. In contrast, XMUM charges RM 22,000 to 24,000 per vited Yunnan University of Finance and Economics (China) year and publicly promises not to use a penny for any com- to found Bangkok Business School together with Rangsit mercial usage or to refund its mother university in China, University. In 2013, against the background of globalization but to invest all its proceeds in local academic research and and China’s involvement in the broader region, the Chinese student scholarships. government released the Yi Dai Yi Lu Framework (the One Belt One Road Policy: A New Silk Road linking Asia, Africa, and Europe). Since then, Chinese universities have been ac- With typical Chinese speed, the fourth tively operating abroad, including recruiting international students to study in China, particularly ASEAN students. and newest campus of Xiamen Univer- However, the EU model can hardly be replicated because sity (XMU), about 45 km outside of Kua- mutual agreements on student exchange and recruitment have not yet been based upon a supragovernmental consen- la Lumpur, Malaysia, has completed its sus within ASEAN; for instance, all ASEAN nations have first phase of development. decided to keep working within the Chinese Yi Dai Yi Lu, which has the advantage of not being mandatory. The first Chinese overseas branch campus has there- These tuition fees are not without problems, as, sta- fore been called the “Friendship Bridge between Malay- tistically, it will take XMUM 30 years to break even. It is sia and China.” According to local recruitment agencies, not surprising, therefore, that XMUM has been questioned XMUM fits the educational market of Chinese–Malaysians, regarding the balance between financially sustainable and but its future operation will greatly depend on the relation- noncommercial spirit. Local recruitment professionals also ship between governments. Tension may be traced back to express concerns about sustaining steady income streams the Cold War, when communication was discontinued be- and qualified human resources at XMUM in the long run. tween China and other nations in Southeast Asia. Chinese– Well-established British and Australian branch universities, Malaysian students in the 61 Independent Chinese Schools founded one or two decades ago, may prove to be strong of Malaysia, which participate in the “Malaysian Indepen- competitors in recruitment and enrollment in the future. dent Chinese Secondary School Examination” (UEC), were Finally, without any other shareholders, total ownership by directly affected by the shutdown of relationships, in that the mother university means reputation but pressure, too. from 1957 they were no longer admitted to Malaysian pub- Fortunately, Chinese–Malaysians have anonymously made lic universities, a ban that continues today. Since the 1990s, considerable donations to XMUM since 2013, following the the Malaysian government has reoriented its national poli- example of patriotic overseas Chinese such as Mr. Tan Kah cies, shifting from protecting the interests of Malays to Kee, the Malaysia-based Chinese tycoon and founder of Xia- adapting to a more diversified ethnic and multicultural real- men University. ity. The legal framework now protects Chinese–Malaysians, but most Chinese–Malaysian students taking national tests IHE #95 Sept. 11 2018 SK update.indd 10 9/11/18 8:22 AM INTERNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION Number 95: Fall 2018 11 are not widely enrolled in public universities, as admission changed over time. These four countries enrolled around quotas there remain the same. 40 percent of all international students in 2015. For each To conclude, the process of founding XMUM reflects country, we carried out a case study that traced changes a blend of recent educational developments in Malaysia, in relevant policy over the period investigated, and iden- ASEAN, and China.