A report in the Times Higher Education quoted Michael Peak, research manager at the British Council, as saying that the “two countries, above any others, have the most balanced portfolio of providing high-level support for international engagement”.
The survey shows that Malaysia ranks high in education internationalisation, hosting a number of campuses established by overseas universities and at the same time being a key sender of overseas students to nations such as the United Kingdom.
The Shape of Global Higher Education: National Policies Framework for International Engagement survey results, published today, examined policies in 26 nations by assessing them against 37 qualitative indicators.
It looked at three broad categories of indicators – openness to international mobility for students and academics; domestic and cross-border education quality assurance and recognition of overseas qualifications; and fair access and sustainability in terms of countering potential negatives such as brain drain.
Peak was quoted as saying that international openness was key in research, not just in student mobility. Internationally mobile researchers “are more productive and produce research that is more highly cited”, he added. “To cater for these researchers who are expecting an international career, universities need to be able to act in an international environment.”
The report said giving each category equal weighting, the overall top five were Germany, Australia, the UK, Malaysia and China.
Other key findings from the research are that financial support from governments is “mainly focused on student mobility and policies aimed at ensuring equitable access and brain drain prevention”; that nations such as Australia, Germany and Russia have widened access to their labour market for international students; and that quality assurance is “an area of weakness”.