PENANG, MALAYSIA, Dec 15 (NNN-BERNAMA) -- Co-operation and consensus among academics from institutions of higher learning all over the world is needed to enable a continuous expansion of knowledge, says Malaysian Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

Such co-operation will also help in resolving problems and issues involving higher education, he told journalists after delivering a keynote address at the Higher Education Conference 2009 in this northern Malaysian state Monday.

"For consistent expansion of knowledge, there needs to be co-operation among academics, especially in research and development (R&D). They are not encouraged to operate only within their own local community," he added.

The conference, organized by the Higher Education Ministry in collaboration with the Science University of Malaysia, is being attended by 213 participants from 23 countries.

Mohamed Khaled said his ministry was also focusing on centres of excellence at every higher learning institution and on efforts to strengthen them. He said each centre of excellence would have a role in uplifting the name and image of the institution at the international level.

"These centres must also be prepared to face all the challenges, especially in the ever-growing educational field," he added. -- NNN-BERNAMA