Comments on: Malaysia out of THES Top 200 Universities for second consecutive year - another fall of domino http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/ for Malaysia Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:34:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: spirit_up_high_above_the_sky http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/comment-page-2/#comment-141204 spirit_up_high_above_the_sky Mon, 13 Oct 2008 01:43:10 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/#comment-141204 Currently I am a first year student study at NUS. Before this, I had done my UPSR(7A),PMR(8A),SPM(11A),STPM(3A,1A-) in Malaysia. I think my result is considered quite not bad in Malaysia. But i now having a hard time study in Singapore. i just had my midterm test. Even though i passed every paper, all my result were below average mark . How the average mark will be? It is about 75% of the paper. It is not that i never study, skip lecture or anything. I had never be this hardworking before. Is it something wrong with me? No, not really. There are a lot of Malaysian study in NUS too. most of us, past STPM student, found that our level is very low compare to the other countries student, especially those from China. Ironically, Malaysian students are the oldest compare to the rest. I really that hope Malaysia government can do something to improve the quality of education. It is no use always saying how good Malaysian are and only if it is true. Perhaps you all never notice, NUS rank at 30th in the top 200 university. Currently I am a first year student study at NUS. Before this, I had done my UPSR(7A),PMR(8A),SPM(11A),STPM(3A,1A-) in Malaysia. I think my result is considered quite not bad in Malaysia. But i now having a hard time study in Singapore. i just had my midterm test. Even though i passed every paper, all my result were below average mark . How the average mark will be? It is about 75% of the paper. It is not that i never study, skip lecture or anything. I had never be this hardworking before. Is it something wrong with me? No, not really. There are a lot of Malaysian study in NUS too. most of us, past STPM student, found that our level is very low compare to the other countries student, especially those from China. Ironically, Malaysian students are the oldest compare to the rest. I really that hope Malaysia government can do something to improve the quality of education. It is no use always saying how good Malaysian are and only if it is true. Perhaps you all never notice, NUS rank at 30th in the top 200 university.

]]> By: pulau_sibu http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/comment-page-2/#comment-140982 pulau_sibu Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:19:20 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/#comment-140982 Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Head, Prof Ir Dr Mohd Sapuan Salit, won a gold medal in the technology category at the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO Science Prize) 2008 in Baku, Azerbaijan, recently. According to a statement from UPM here today, Prof Mohd Sapuan's research in the design and manufacture of polymer composite products won him a cash prize of US$5,000.— BERNAMA Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Head, Prof Ir Dr Mohd Sapuan Salit, won a gold medal in the technology category at the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO Science Prize) 2008 in Baku, Azerbaijan, recently.
According to a statement from UPM here today, Prof Mohd Sapuan’s research in the design and manufacture of polymer composite products won him a cash prize of US$5,000.— BERNAMA

]]> By: LBJ http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/comment-page-2/#comment-140870 LBJ Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:29:08 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/#comment-140870 There is no point arguing whether our universities are good or no good. As a country, we need to decide and that means politicans of all grades and citizens, whether we want to have quality universities in this country If we all decide that that is what the country need, then put resources and policies to get what we want. Even of we have to implement merit selection and promotion, and attract renown professors to our shore. If we decide that we need quantity university education, then by all means do so. Reduce public expenditure and provide tax break for parents to send their children, if they want a world class eduction. Forget about going to world class status. Let us be happy about being mediocre. There is no point arguing whether our universities are good or no good. As a country, we need to decide and that means politicans of all grades and citizens, whether we want to have quality universities in this country

If we all decide that that is what the country need, then put resources and policies to get what we want. Even of we have to implement merit selection and promotion, and attract renown professors to our shore.

If we decide that we need quantity university education, then by all means do so. Reduce public expenditure and provide tax break for parents to send their children, if they want a world class eduction. Forget about going to world class status. Let us be happy about being mediocre.

]]> By: Isamu http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/comment-page-2/#comment-140852 Isamu Sat, 11 Oct 2008 07:20:02 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/#comment-140852 Uncle Lim, BTW, although Chulalongkorn is seldom heard of, it is actually the most prestigious university in Thailand. It is also the oldest (91 years old, people in Kedah, Perlis & etc were still busy fighting the Siamese occupiers at that time). Quality of education is reputed to be of a very high standard as it's the focal point of Thailand's top talents. It's lack of fame in Malaysia could be due to Malaysians' fixation on Singaporean universities and also could be due to the fact that the medium of delivery is in Thai. Uncle Lim,

BTW, although Chulalongkorn is seldom heard of, it is actually the most prestigious university in Thailand. It is also the oldest (91 years old, people in Kedah, Perlis & etc were still busy fighting the Siamese occupiers at that time).

Quality of education is reputed to be of a very high standard as it’s the focal point of Thailand’s top talents.
It’s lack of fame in Malaysia could be due to Malaysians’ fixation on Singaporean universities and also could be due to the fact that the medium of delivery is in Thai.

]]> By: Isamu http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/comment-page-2/#comment-140844 Isamu Sat, 11 Oct 2008 07:00:12 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/#comment-140844 I agree that a degree is not a pre-requisite to success but without good education, it's a long shot and your only other option is to work hard and work smart. I agree that some successful entrepreneurs and tycoons do not have a degree, much less formal education but if you observe the history of human civilisation, good education has changed its role in society from being a privilege to a basic right. I agree that one's command of the English language do not have to be that of the BBC's (perfect or near perfect level) to be successful but let's get real, most Malaysians (regardless of status; graduate or not, local or foreign, race) don't even have a good enough grasp of it. I agree that the conditions in Malaysia are different and that we should not downplay our own universities but even if the rating system/criteria are indeed biased, you will only see British universities at the top of the list. In addition, all universities around the world were rated using the same set of criteria and that includes NUS Singapore, NTU Singapore, Chulalongkorn Thailand, Beijing China, Tsing Hua China & etc. These Asian universities are rated at least 50 places on top of the best placed Malaysian university. A really biased system knocks you down 10 or 20 places, not 50 or more. Reality and truth from competitive benchmarking hurts. I agree that a degree is not a pre-requisite to success but without good education, it’s a long shot and your only other option is to work hard and work smart.

I agree that some successful entrepreneurs and tycoons do not have a degree, much less formal education but if you observe the history of human civilisation, good education has changed its role in society from being a privilege to a basic right.

I agree that one’s command of the English language do not have to be that of the BBC’s (perfect or near perfect level) to be successful but let’s get real, most Malaysians (regardless of status; graduate or not, local or foreign, race) don’t even have a good enough grasp of it.

I agree that the conditions in Malaysia are different and that we should not downplay our own universities but even if the rating system/criteria are indeed biased, you will only see British universities at the top of the list. In addition, all universities around the world were rated using the same set of criteria and that includes NUS Singapore, NTU Singapore, Chulalongkorn Thailand, Beijing China, Tsing Hua China & etc. These Asian universities are rated at least 50 places on top of the best placed Malaysian university. A really biased system knocks you down 10 or 20 places, not 50 or more. Reality and truth from competitive benchmarking hurts.

]]> By: Kasim Amat http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/comment-page-2/#comment-140810 Kasim Amat Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:57:50 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/#comment-140810 The THES-QS University ranking system is a flawed system itself that it measures universities based on certain criteria which is totally biased and is very unfavourable to Malaysia Universities. We should not pay too much attention to this flawed ranking system. If we adapt to the criteria that purely aim for the sake of getting our universities to get a higher ranking and forget about the basic fundamentals of the education system in Malaysia, then the whole educational landscape of the country may be misshaped which will eventually results in social instability. The world will finally know that Malaysia Universities are among the best in the world. My son is a graduate of University of Malaya and he took less than 1 week to get his first job with an International Investment Bank in KL. Beside that, he also has several offers from Maybank, Ambank and other big names. I admit that his English may not be as fluent but in Malaysia he does not have to worry that he could not find a decent job. As a Malaysian we should not downplay the standard of our own universities. We should also not compare ours with the other countries' because Malaysia's situation is unique and different from other countries. The THES-QS University ranking system is a flawed system itself that it measures universities based on certain criteria which is totally biased and is very unfavourable to Malaysia Universities. We should not pay too much attention to this flawed ranking system. If we adapt to the criteria that purely aim for the sake of getting our universities to get a higher ranking and forget about the basic fundamentals of the education system in Malaysia, then the whole educational landscape of the country may be misshaped which will eventually results in social instability. The world will finally know that Malaysia Universities are among the best in the world. My son is a graduate of University of Malaya and he took less than 1 week to get his first job with an International Investment Bank in KL. Beside that, he also has several offers from Maybank, Ambank and other big names. I admit that his English may not be as fluent but in Malaysia he does not have to worry that he could not find a decent job.

As a Malaysian we should not downplay the standard of our own universities. We should also not compare ours with the other countries’ because Malaysia’s situation is unique and different from other countries.

]]> By: normandy http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/comment-page-2/#comment-140777 normandy Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:12:05 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/#comment-140777 Yes, lots of lecturers in the local universities are of very low-class quality. I am not sure about other universities (which readers could write in to spill the beans) but I was informed that in UPSI, lecturers were promoted to Associate Prof. and Professor easily without any substantial international publications. More shockingly, I was told that one lady (a senior lecturer) got a conditional offer for an Ass Prof; the condition is that is she publishes one journal article (since she has no journal publication at all)! Many of my colleagues say that they are not applying to UPSI to undergo a PhD programme because the supervision there is of substandard. Imagine if you, as an experienced teacher, would want to do a PhD in education, let's say science education, you will end up being supervised by a lecturer who has no experience in education. He/she does not even have a teaching qualification, let alone school-based experience. No wonder the UPSI graduates are equally substandard because their practicum was supervised by lecturers who do not even have a Diploma of Education and have never taught in schools!!!! Yes, lots of lecturers in the local universities are of very low-class quality. I am not sure about other universities (which readers could write in to spill the beans) but I was informed that in UPSI, lecturers were promoted to Associate Prof. and Professor easily without any substantial international publications. More shockingly, I was told that one lady (a senior lecturer) got a conditional offer for an Ass Prof; the condition is that is she publishes one journal article (since she has no journal publication at all)! Many of my colleagues say that they are not applying to UPSI to undergo a PhD programme because the supervision there is of substandard. Imagine if you, as an experienced teacher, would want to do a PhD in education, let’s say science education, you will end up being supervised by a lecturer who has no experience in education. He/she does not even have a teaching qualification, let alone school-based experience. No wonder the UPSI graduates are equally substandard because their practicum was supervised by lecturers who do not even have a Diploma of Education and have never taught in schools!!!!

]]> By: pulau_sibu http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/comment-page-2/#comment-140776 pulau_sibu Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:10:16 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/#comment-140776 Recently there is a guy who was made the big post at UTM with the news that he is the youngest person appointed to the post (I forgot whatever is the post and his name). Is this the best person around for the post? He is a great researcher, but if you go to America, the universities must be flooded with professors having better accomplishments like him. Boleh has to think of a way to attract the big guns to come. Hong Kong and Taiwan are doing it and their universities started to pop up in the ranking. In boleh, people care about the title only, like Prof. Datuk Dr...... that made no sense at all to the academic standard and ranking. Unless THES will add in an other criteria, number of Datuk Professors.... Have boleh universities put down in writing how are they going to attain a better ranking or to become a better university? Ask the vice chancellor to show it to the public. If it is not achieved, then the person has to quit in the specified years. Recently there is a guy who was made the big post at UTM with the news that he is the youngest person appointed to the post (I forgot whatever is the post and his name). Is this the best person around for the post? He is a great researcher, but if you go to America, the universities must be flooded with professors having better accomplishments like him.

Boleh has to think of a way to attract the big guns to come. Hong Kong and Taiwan are doing it and their universities started to pop up in the ranking. In boleh, people care about the title only, like Prof. Datuk Dr…… that made no sense at all to the academic standard and ranking. Unless THES will add in an other criteria, number of Datuk Professors….

Have boleh universities put down in writing how are they going to attain a better ranking or to become a better university? Ask the vice chancellor to show it to the public. If it is not achieved, then the person has to quit in the specified years.

]]> By: alaneth http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/comment-page-2/#comment-140739 alaneth Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:50:31 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/10/09/malaysia-out-of-thes-top-200-universities-for-second-consecutive-year-another-fall-of-domino/#comment-140739 If we rank world universities only in 1 subject - Political Science, we will definately rank top 10..... If we rank world universities only in 1 subject - Political Science, we will definately rank top 10…..

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