Any discussion about the future of higher education under the Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint (RPTM) 2026–2035 should begin with a fundamental question: what is the true nature of a university?
Etymologically, the word university originates from the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium, meaning a community of teachers and scholars. A university is not merely a physical institution but an intellectual and moral ecosystem where knowledge, values and human development intersect.
History reminds us that some of the world’s earliest universities emerged from Islamic civilisation, including the University of al-Qarawiyyin (859 CE) and Al-Azhar University (970 CE).
In the Islamic scholarly tradition, such institutions were known as jami’ah, derived from the root word jamaa, meaning to gather. They gathered not only people but also wisdom, ethics and social responsibility. Universities originally functioned as centres for nurturing learned individuals who were conscious of their responsibilities to society and their relationship with the Creator.
Yet in the modern era, driven by industrial logic and technological revolutions that have already moved beyond the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0), universities are increasingly trapped in the language of productivity and efficiency. Gradually, they risk becoming academic factories: producing graduates mechanically, optimising publication output, and measuring excellence primarily through numbers, indices and rankings.
It is in this context that RPTM 2026–2035 emerges as an important strategic reform, not merely to strengthen global competitiveness but to restore universities to their original purpose as institutions that humanise human beings.
Educating knowledgeable and ethical individuals
RPTM 2026–2035 is anchored in Malaysia’s National Education Philosophy and guided by the principles of Malaysia Madani, aiming to produce balanced individuals intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically. The plan represents an important shift: from talent development focused primarily on outputs and employability to the cultivation of individuals grounded in values and humanity.
In the Islamic intellectual tradition, the ultimate aim of education is to produce insan alim: individuals who not only possess knowledge and skills but also understand the meaning of existence, social responsibility and the ethics of knowledge.
Royal Laureate Professor Tan Sri Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas has long warned that knowledge without adab (manners) leads to epistemological confusion, intellectual injustice and moral decay. According to him, the loss of adab stems from the erosion of intellectual traditions, the disappearance of wisdom, and the weakening of justice within educational systems.
Without values, highly educated individuals risk becoming little more than intelligent machines. Graduates may excel technically, but without integrity and moral awareness they remain vulnerable to corruption, abuse of power and ethical failures that continue to challenge societies today.
It is in response to this concern that the idea of the humaniversity has emerged. The concept calls for ‘de-industrialising’ the university by shifting focus away from rankings and performance indicators towards the cultivation of intangible qualities such as integrity, trustworthiness, honesty and civility.
Education and human dignity
Another critical issue often overlooked in discussions on higher education is the position and dignity of educators themselves.
In many contemporary systems, academics are increasingly treated as production units expected to generate publications, secure grants, deliver lectures and meet key performance indicators within rigid bureaucratic timelines.
An excessive publish-or-perish culture not only affects the mental and emotional well-being of academics but also risks undermining academic integrity. Globally, such systemic pressures have been associated with increasing cases of data manipulation, predatory publishing and research that gradually loses its social relevance.
RPTM 2026–2035, particularly through its second strategic shift – Purpose-Driven High-Performance Talent – seeks to correct this imbalance. The plan emphasises that educators are not mechanical implementers of policy but thinking individuals whose wisdom and academic autonomy deserve respect.
Universities should not become overly paternalistic or authoritarian institutions that stifle trust and creativity. Instead, they must balance academic freedom with the responsibility of shaping ethical and thoughtful individuals. Ultimately, if universities aim to educate human beings, the educators themselves must be treated with dignity and empowered to uphold the same values.
Between excellence and social justice
Malaysia has made significant progress in higher education. Tertiary enrolment has increased from 48 per cent in 2014 to 59 per cent in 2024, while graduate employability has reached 92.5 per cent. Internationally, Universiti Malaya ranks among the world’s top 100 universities, and Malaysia’s education system is ranked 14th globally according to the 2024 Global Education Index.
In terms of sustainability and societal impact, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has also achieved strong international recognition, particularly through rankings such as the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. These achievements reflect the growing role of universities in advancing sustainable development by integrating education, research and community engagement in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Yet such achievements must also be interpreted critically. Rankings and statistics lose their meaning if the communities surrounding universities continue to struggle with poverty, inequality and limited access to education. Universities cannot become isolated ivory towers that celebrate high-impact publications without delivering meaningful impact to society.
RPTM 2026–2035 identifies 11 major gaps, including accessibility for marginalised communities. The commitment to the bottom billion must be translated into sustainable mechanisms such as strengthening waqf and zakat funds. Initiatives like the Zakat, Waqf and Infaq Office at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) demonstrate how higher education institutions can help ensure that education remains a fair and inclusive pathway for social mobility.
Restoring the spirit of the university
Ultimately, RPTM 2026–2035 is more than a strategic blueprint. It is an attempt to restore the spirit of the university itself.
Universities must remain free from narrow political pressures and short-term commercial interests so they can serve society and the nation with integrity.
By moving beyond the ‘academic factory’ paradigm toward a humaniversity ecosystem, Malaysia has the opportunity to nurture graduates who are not only skilled in STEM, artificial intelligence and advanced technologies but also guided by humanity, integrity and a commitment to building a sustainable civilisation.
Dr Muhammad Azrul Zabidi is a senior lecturer at the Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Cancer Centre, USM.
The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the writer and do not represent that of Twentytwo13.
