The positioning of Malaysia as an ASEAN leading centre of educational attraction

The competitive landscaping of ASEAN regional growth indicates tremendous potentials for every member countries to develop its respective human resources and capabilities. Education and training, being the prime movers in building the economy and enhancing intellectual prosperity and wealth, should be given the utmost concern to achieve this goal. Being located strategically and having a well-developed infrastructure and facilities has rendered Malaysia a leading role in attracting prospective students from within the region as well as from other nations. As Malaysia is currently pursuing a bold strategy to achieve the nation’s Vision 2020, its’ positioning as a hub for educational opportunities could contribute to realizing this grand cause. With the growing number of public and private universities and a reputation as a fast developing nation, Malaysia stood to attract more interest from foreign institutions to form educational partnership in this country. The commanding role of Malaysia as chairmanships of both the Non-Aligned Movement and Organization of Islamic Conferences respectively have also boosted well the strategy to position itself in this region. Organizational and structural analysis in the Malaysian educational system showed that Malaysia enjoys a favorable climate for encouraging teaching and learning excellence in ASEAN. Social and political implications are also discussed to highlight the importance of ASEAN as a powerfully emerging economic grouping