Curtin Sarawak maintains Tier 5 or ‘Excellent’ rating in latest SETARA exercise

Miri – 9 December 2014 – Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) has received notification from the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) in a letter dated 17 November 2014 that it has successfully retained its ‘Tier 5’ or ‘Excellent’ rating under the latest Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education Institutions or Sistem Penarafan Institusi Pengajian Tinggi (SETARA ‘13).

Curtin Sarawak achieved similar ratings in the two previous SETARA rating exercises carried out by the MQA, an agency under the Ministry of Education, in 2009 and 2011.

SETARA serves as a measuring tool to assess the quality of teaching and learning, using the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF), for undergraduate programmes. SETARA ’13 evaluated 53 higher learning institutions (IPTs) in Malaysia. 42 IPTs achieved Tier 5 ratings and 11 obtained Tier 4 (Very Good).

“We are very pleased at achieving an ‘excellent’ rating once again. It reaffirms our reputation as a leading higher education institution in Malaysia,” said its Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor Jim Mienczakowski.

He added that the rating, along with Curtin Sarawak’s self-accreditation status granted by the Ministry of Higher Education in 2009, and the university’s similar rating in the D-SETARA discipline-based rating system for its engineering programmes, is testimony to the quality and excellence of its teaching and learning, academic programmes, research output and staff calibre, as well as to the quality of its graduates and their employability.

Professor Mienczakowski said that, in this latest exercise, Curtin Sarawak achieved higher scores in the areas of Quality, Experience and Diversity (academic staff capability and student quality) and Physical and Financial Resources (support services). It also maintained high scores in Governance and Quality of Graduates & Graduate Satisfaction.

He added that, apart from giving education providers a clear picture of their standing, the SETARA results can be used as a basis to further enhance their standing.

He said Curtin Sarawak will continue to strengthen its quality management system to further enhance its programmes, operations and services, and ultimately produce graduates who are highly sought after.

Curtin Sarawak rated ‘Tier 5’ or ‘excellent’ under SETARA ’13.

Rating reaffirms Curtin Sarawak’s reputation as a leading higher education institution in Malaysia, says Professor Jim Mienczakowski.