Said, who is also member of the committee, said the ministry had set up a panel, headed by Dr Wan Zahid Noordin, to look at the recommendations over the next few months before being presented to the Cabinet for approval.

Academics and educationists provided feedback to a committee, stressing the urgent need for a revamp of higher education.

The Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UNITAR) said he is optimistic about turning universities around.

"In the university of the future, the curriculum will be personalised, individualised and customized. We also need to change the age profile in line with lifelong learning, giving credit for prior experience," Professor Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid, who is also a member of Noordin committee, said.

The chief executive officer and principal consultant of TQM Consultants Sdn. Bhd. said employable graduates could be achieved with close working relations between universities and the industry on skills needed.

"In most jobs, except law and medicine, technical skills alone will not ensure survival in the marketplace, Dr Ranjit Singh Malhi said.

"Graduates need critical and creative thinking, inter-personal, presentation and problem-solving skills. "

The chairman and principal consultant of Transformational Leadership Development Sdn. Bhd., Syed Barkat Ali Syed Ali, said quality education hinged on the use of an internationally popular language such as English.

"Without diminishing the importance of the national language, using English would be good," he said.

Sex Education

In a separate-related development, Bernama said that sexuality education would be implemented in schools including the pre-schools early next year after the guideline on it is approved by the Cabinet.

Education Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the National Sexuality Education Guideline would be presented to Cabinet at the latest by the first week of January and it would be launched in February.

He said that the guidelines will include other issues related to the rampant social ills, such as rape, incest, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and child abuse.

The guideline would not only focus on students but also parents, non-government organisations (NGOs) and community leaders, he told reporters after chairing a meeting on the matter Tuesday.

"If we can ensure the guideline is understood, community leaders ranging from ministers, deputy ministers, parliamentary secretaries and people's elected representatives can not only influence certain parents and family units but also change the society's perception that this matter is serious," he said.

The guideline contained various aspects divided into six main parts namely human development, relationship, marriage and parenthood, living skills, health and sexual behaviour, and society and culture.

"It is related to family institution, the role of the parents, religious values, approaches related to new developments such as AIDS, indecent elements in the Internet and how it would affect out children," he said.