PENANG, 16 July 2026 – Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), through the Arshad Ayub Graduate Business School (AAGBS), continued to strengthen its commitment to global academic excellence by participating as an invited speaker at the ABEST21 International Quality Improvement Seminar 2026, hosted by the Graduate School of Business, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
The seminar, themed "The Role of ABEST21 International Accreditation in Advancing Globalization of Management Education," gathered higher education leaders, accreditation experts, and academics to discuss strategies for enhancing quality assurance and internationalisation in management education.
Representing UiTM, Associate Professor Dr. Siti Zaleha Sahak from AAGBS delivered a presentation entitled "Driving Continuous Quality Improvement Through Strategic Peer Review." Her presentation highlighted how international accreditation should serve as a catalyst for continuous institutional improvement rather than merely a compliance exercise. The session discussed the ABEST21 accreditation framework, including the Quality Improvement Strategies (QIS), Self-Check Report (SCR), Kaizen Report (KZR), and the role of the Peer Review Team (PRT) in supporting sustainable quality enhancement.
In her presentation, Dr. Siti Zaleha emphasised that higher education institutions must adopt a developmental mindset by embracing continuous quality improvement, agile governance, curriculum innovation, faculty capability development, and responsible integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into teaching, learning, and institutional quality assurance. She further highlighted that future accreditation frameworks should encourage institutions to balance international benchmarking with local relevance while maintaining academic integrity and institutional resilience in an increasingly complex global environment.
The seminar also featured internationally renowned accreditation expert Professor Emeritus Dr. Hiroshi Takahashi, President of ABEST21, together with distinguished speakers from Universiti Sains Malaysia and other institutions, who shared global perspectives on strengthening business education through international accreditation.
UiTM's participation reflects the university's ongoing commitment to enhancing the quality of postgraduate education through internationally recognised quality assurance practices. As one of Malaysia's leading business schools, AAGBS continues to actively contribute to global discussions on accreditation, governance, curriculum innovation, and continuous quality improvement.
The seminar also provided an important platform for strengthening collaboration between Malaysian universities and the ABEST21 international network, fostering knowledge exchange, peer learning, and strategic partnerships that will further advance the internationalisation agenda of management education.
