HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES AND MALAYSIA: THE LEARNING REGION IN THE AGE OF KNOWLEDGE-BASED SOCIETIES

In the context of the developing world, the notion of the knowledge society has elicited a response especially among higher education institutions (HEIs) and the role of this sector in developing human resources that are able to adapt and compete in such a society has led to the recognition of the government. In the case of the Philippines and Malaysia, for the country to be knowledge-economy ready , its HEIs must embrace and facilitate a technology-based orientation. This paper will look at the role of higher education in both the Philippines and Malaysia in relation to the requirements of the knowledge-based driven economy and how this sector responds and adapts to the challenging call to modernise in order to perform and maximise its contribution to such objectives. Issues relating to this trend are also examined.