Three Higher Education Ministers in four years while Malaysian universities continue the plunge in international university rankings – this is the second consecutive year Malaysia is excluded from the Times Higher Education Supplement’s (THES-QS) World’s Top 200 Universities.
Are these two matters inter-related?
This is the question I posed to the third Higher Education Minister in four years, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin in Parliament this morning when he replied during the winding-up of the 2009 Budget debate, but as expected, he could not throw any light on the conundrum.
It is a sad reflection of the “paradigm shift” in university quality and excellence in Malaysia that while the first two Higher Education Ministers (Datuk Dr. Shafie Salleh and Datuk Dr. Mustapha Mohamed) talked about how to defend Malaysian university rankings in the Top 200 World Universities, Khaled spoke with pride this morning at the inclusion of Malaysian universities in the Top 500 world universities!
I warned this morning that Malaysia is seriously losing out in competitiveness, with our univerisites not only left behind by Singapore [National University of Singapore (NUS) ranked 30th and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore ranked No. 77] and Thailand (Chulalongkorn University ranked No. 166), we are beginning to straggle behind Indonesian universities!
Until last year, Malaysian universities were all ranked well ahead of the Indonesian universities, but in the 2008 THES-QS World Top Universities ranking, Indonesian universities are catching up with Malaysian universities in leaps and bounds.
Last year for instance, the three top Indonesian universities were all ranked behind the Malaysian universities – University of Indonesia (UI) No. 395, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) No. 369 and Gajah Mada University (UGM) No. 360, as compared to the three top Malaysian universities University of Malaya (UM) No. 246, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) No. 307 and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) No. 309.
In this year’s ranking, University of Indonesia has improved by 108 placings to be ranked as No. 287, Bandung Institute of Technology No. 315 and Gajah Mada University No. 316.
This means that in the 2008 THES-QS Ranking, University of Indonesia (No. 287) has narrowed the gap with University of Malaya (No. 230) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (No. 250), while ahead of Malaysia’s apex university, Universiti Sains Malaysia (No. 313), University Putra Malaysia (No. 320) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (No. 356).
#1 by gitf701 on Monday, 3 November 2008 - 11:28 pm
Uncle Kit,
Some time ago you wrote about a Saudi Arabia University hiring Prof Shih Choon Fong, President of National University of Singapore to be its Head. It baffles me a Muslim country like Saudi is so open minded while in Malaysia the thinking is so narrow. Even a simple appointment of a Temp Acting GM for a insignificant company created so much wasteful debate. Otak kak mana? Is Saudi the country where these guys go haj?. How many hundred years do they need to learn from Saudi to wake up and grow up and not to see everything from the racist standapoint. That former MB is so childish. No wander our beautiful country is sentence to the dungeons of mediocrity. Prof Shih should have been in University Malaya if we were better managed.
Shih is among the highly cited researchers in the world for the category of engineering complied by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI).
In 2004, Shih became the first Singaporean to be elected as a Foreign Associate to the United States National Academy of Engineering.[3]
He was awarded the French decoration “Chevalier” in the Order of the “Legion d’Honneur” in 2005.
In recognition of his works in the special research achievements, Shih was elected as a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2006. He is the only foreign academician in the engineering technology group.
In 2007, Shih received the inaugural Chief Executive Leadership Award for Asia Pacific presented by the Council for Advancement and Support for Education.
??1945 Born in Singapore
??1957 Singapore Monk’s Hill Primary School
??1961 Singapore Beatty Secondary School
??1966 Singapore Polytechnic, Dipl Eng
??1970 Harvard University, Division of Applied Science, M S
??1973 Harvard University, Division of Applied Science, Ph D
??1969-1971 American Science and Engineering, Mathematical Analyst
??1973-1974 Harvard University, Researcher
??1974-1981 General Electric, R & D, Head of Fracture Group
??1981-1983 Brown University, Visiting Professor
??1983-1986 Brown University, Associate Professor
??1986-1997 Brown University, Professor
??1996-1999 National University of Singapore, Director of the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering
??1997-2000 National University of Singapore, Deputy Vice-Chancellor
??2000-2008 National University of Singapore, President
??2009- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Founding President[4
#2 by rubini on Monday, 3 November 2008 - 11:38 pm
That is why i choose to work outside Malaysia to save some money to send my 2 daughters to Australia in 7 years time, b’coz by then, M’sian U’s will be in the loo’s.
#3 by chengho on Monday, 3 November 2008 - 11:50 pm
Our education system too much emphasis on how many A our student get, at the end of the day we inculcate a PARROT culture without understanding and the creativity of what they learned at the university . we have to follow the best university in the world they inculcate the creativity , sport , culture ,etc.
today you can find a lots of student at library study ,memorise ,spot Q ,etc not many doing sport ,culture ,fun ,etc so much so we produce uncreative product.
all this issue nothing to do with race being a malay or non malay .
if you care to look at the private college or university college in malaysia more than 60% lecturer /academic staffs is Malay.
#4 by pulau_sibu on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 12:01 am
Staying in a kampong like Malaysia, you want to close the door and reject any good people to come in. You build your own kingdom with a different criteria. That is why we have racial based political systems and all the policies that are found no where.
Look at China, because of the close door policy, it was backward for several hundred years. Once it started to open up, it grew again. Our closed door education, political,…. should all be abolished.
#5 by aries66 on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 12:09 am
Take for example , Our UM (University Malaya) is once the top in Asia & now is a shame.. really low standard ! Why ?? cause it’s all about quota control that stop many brilliant students from entering the U.. Sad.. Hopeless nowto talk about it !. Better study overseas.
#6 by raven77 on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 1:00 am
UM went to the dogs ages ago….the fat lady imagines herself to be an academic while her side kicks are there by default…a PKNS situation……in fact it’s not a bad idea at all to sell off the whole of UM as real estate…….and move UM to the kampongs of Kalumpang…..
#7 by monsterball on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 1:17 am
If I may….off the topic…Mahathir at his blog…call those who accused him…worst PM…are like carp fish…and literally speaking….we are talking rubbish.
Tons and tons of evidences….spoken and written….starting way back..1987…Tunku Abdul Rahman…called him a dictator…applying Operation Lalang.
His first famous big corrupted case was BMF ..where Bank Bumiputra Auditor..Jalil Ibrahim was murdered in Hong Kong…..in 1984…case still unsolved. And it was Lim Kit Siang….who exposed the BMF scandal.
This old …have an otak..as thick as onion skin…simply does not know any shame.
All Malaysians know…he ruled with an iron fist….a dictator for 22 years.
Let him deny that..before calling us..carps.
Previously he said…”I don’t care….what people think about me”….stealing our our country’s wealth….creating 22 years of huge corruptions…never been seen before.
Corruptions..right to the core in UMNO…said Tengku Ahmad Ritauddeen…recently.
Tunku also said..”Everybody seems to be corrupt. In my time..we didn’t have anything like this”
So now..he wants to prove he is the best PM??
Have he no shame?
One moment writing open letter to Malaysians…appealing for support…got NONE!
All UMNO ministers are against him.
Are these not signs of the worst PM in Malaysia?
Tons and tons of accusations….criticisms…insults…yet he can utter the sentence at CNN interview…”You may not believe it…..PM are not corrupted people…..but that’s another story”
Why not he take every accusation..and prove he is innocent….starting……bailing out his son…with more than RM1.2 billion of our money.
The real truth….UMNO lost so much…during the 12th election…was not due to Dollah…so much …as all Malaysians are fed up with cock and bull …lies and cheats..from UMNO…mostly from Mahathir.
If I am a carp….Mahathir sure is the devil reincarnated.
#8 by dawsheng on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 2:09 am
“I think Kassim Amat brain resides in the head that is found between his two legs, whose two best friends are two nuts living beside an asshole.” – vsp
Seriously, I have to agree with you.
#9 by disapointed86 on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 2:25 am
gitf701, i dont wan to be racist sometimes but i have no choice also…speaking about saudi arabia..the muslim there are far ahead better than the one we had here..just list down what our muslim here can do and what they can do?..mention from A-Z..i think none our muslim here can compete with there..even football also not getting any better…joking..but its truth..malaysia muslim is just in the state of denial of what is happening around the world..they are just compete among themselves..like what they used to say..\Bagaikan Katak di bawak Tempurung\..thats the best proverb to describe the muslim in Malaysia..just see what happen in parliament..most of the MPs’ dont even know some of the facts which they should aware of..why?? why??…i predict that Indonesia unis will stand on par with our universities or ahead of us in the next QS ranking….1 sentence says it all.. \CHANGE GOVERNMENT\…we need to awake the Umno’s from their sweet dreamss
#10 by trublumsian on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 3:57 am
kasim amat, u’r being funny right?? seriously, is that really what ur head is telling u?? tell me u’r just mocking what a bean brain umnoputra will say.
#11 by homeblogger on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 6:34 am
disapointed86 Says:
Today at 02: 25.58 (4 hours ago)
..Bagaikan Katak di bawak Tempurung..thats the best proverb to describe the muslim in Malaysia…
==================
Might I add : Jaguh Kampung.
#12 by taiking on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 8:38 am
Kasim said:
“Lim Kit Siang was purely trying to use this ranking result to ridicule our Education Minister and his ministry.”
Oh yes he certainly is. I would too. You see we are all at our wits end and we simply cannot get this very very simple message across to them. Our uni are extremely rubbish and something positive must be done. They dont respond to reasons or logic because we are mindful of the fact that they are products of a system based not on merits. And you cant talk to them nicely and slowly because they are damn arrogant – with oversize and obviously misplaced and misunderstood pride. So LKS really has no choice but to ridicule them. Hopefully they could be shamed into realisation. I would.
Quite clearly, kasim is also a product of that umno system. Let me assure you people, I can easily reach out and grab dozens of malays off the street who could make better sense. But alas merits dont work for them as well. That is why they on kl streets and not on some persiarans in some precincts.
#13 by swipenter on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 8:50 am
We are a class of our own so LKS your articles and remarks on our higher education is uncalled for. Dont do that again, ok?
#14 by pulau_sibu on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 8:58 am
We are good in critising the public institutions like MU, but let me tell you the private ones managed by Chinese are not much better. Chinese tend to treat such an institution as the family or party properties.
Sibu has been fighting hard in trying to establish a university. That has been the long long dream of the people. Because Sibu is being marginalised by Taib, nothing will be given to Sibu. Finally some rich Chinese gave some money to SUPP in setting up a college called United College Sarawak, which was supposed to grow into a University with time. But it never. It just can’t grow bigger because the few short-sight politicians in SUPP Sibu hijacked this institution and made it the family property. UC stays as a third-class college after more than a decade. The local people dared not to send the kids to UC. The local population did not gain anything from UC. What a sad story!
Sibu region has a huge Christian population, especially the Methodists. Methodist Church has been trying to help Sibu to set up a University, but was stopped by SUPP in safeguarding UC. That is to monopolise the educational market of Sibu. This kind of political party should be rejected and thrown out by the people. They never tried to considered the benefit of the vast population, but they are more interested in looking after their own business. The dream of Sibu is gone forever.
Incidentally I saw this piece of news:-
Work progressing on creating Methodist university in Malaysia
Sept. 16, 1999 Contact: Linda Green*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
By Kathy Gilbert*
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)– The Methodist Church in Malaysia is moving closer to its goal of establishing an affiliated university in that country, thanks in part to help from a United Methodist agency.
Organizers hope to establish the university in time to mark the centennial celebration of the Sarawak Annual Conference of the Methodist Church in Malaysia in 2000. The celebration will be a yearlong observance.
The United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry in Nashville is providing encouragement and expertise.
“The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry first became involved in the process at the invitation of the Methodist church leaders in Malaysia,” said the Rev. Roger Ireson, the board’s top executive.
A memorandum of understanding was signed between the board and the Malaysian church’s Council of Education in March. The board agreed to serve as a technical consultant to help set up a Methodist university in Sibu, Sarawak. Unlike Africa University in Zimbabwe, the Malaysian school would not be United Methodist related.
The Board of Higher Education was invited to provide expertise and guidance in part because of the success of Africa University and because of the board’s relationship to the National Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist Church (NASCUMC) and the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities, Ireson said.
Ken Yamada, staff executive in the Division of Higher Education, and Bishop Peter S.C. Chio, bishop of the Methodist Church in Malaysia, have been the key initiators of the plan to establish the university.
The agency’s assistance to the Methodist Church in Malaysia has come in two phases so far, Ireson said.
The first phase involved a visit to Malaysia by Ireson; Yamada; Benjamin Ladner, president of American University; Stuart Gulley, president of LaGrange College; and Carlito Puno, president of Philippine Christian University. They met with government officials and the Malaysian church’s Council of Education. The team also visited Methodist College in Kuala Lumpur and Methodist Pilley Institute in Sibu.
The Methodist Pilley Institute was started by two Methodist missionaries, John and Muriel Pilley, in 1967. Muriel Pilley lives in Nashville, Tenn., and is an active member of Calvary United Methodist Church, Ireson said.
The Methodist College in Kuala Lumpur was established in 1983 by the Methodist Church in Malaysia and offers secondary education. The college has more than 800 students, according to Yamada.
The greatest challenges facing the plan are obtaining government approval of a license and faculty enhancement toward the master’s degree level. Almost all institutions of higher education in Malaysia are government sponsored, and students are only able to obtain a bachelor’s degree at those schools.
The second phase of the plan occurred when another U.S. team visited Malaysia in June. The group consisted of David Dolsen, special assistant to the president of Southwestern College; David Nichols, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty, Southwestern College; David Seyle, academic dean, Andrew College; and Jay Simmons, vice president for academic
affairs and academic dean, LaGrange College. Out of that meeting, a plan was developed for an American college transfer program for the Methodist College in Kuala Lumpur and the Methodist Pilley Institute.
The Methodist Church in Malaysia delegation, headed by Bishop Chio, met with members of NASCUMC at their annual meeting in July in Santa Fe, N.M. The purpose of the July meeting was to develop working relationships, provide advice on curricular and faculty development, develop agreements for Malaysian students to study at United Methodist institutions in the United States, and to identify other ways the United Methodist Church could support
Malaysian Methodist colleges and universities.
Goh Keat Seng, education secretary for the Western Malaysia Methodist Church, said the alliance between the Board of Higher Education and Ministry, NASCUMC and the Malaysian churches would help them obtain a government license to establish a university.
Support by the board and NASCUMC are needed to help establish curriculum, get teachers’ master’s degrees, and encourage faculty and student exchange, Goh said.
#15 by CSKUEH on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 10:25 am
University Malaya was once high ranking and our pride
The rankings of the universities now continue to slide
The gov’t seems to sweep the whole matter aside
Have they taken the people for a ride?
#16 by vp on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 10:30 am
I still remmebered many many years ago, we proud to be in 100 best u, then we are pround to be in best 200. now, we proud to be among 300 best u………..then we may pround to be among 400 or 500 best u. We still pround to be …………. as long our current government/ higher education minster is still playing around the
universities as their politic tool. Malaysia boleh,….. we will still proud to be even in 1000 best u.
#17 by undergrad2 on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 10:41 am
Local universitites are nothing more than high schools called by other names. Fifty years later students are still not being taught how to think for themselves but instead how to memorise and plagerise and academic ability is measured in how efficiently they cough out everything they read word for word during exams. Learning by rote makes a mockery of the system.
#18 by son of perpaduan on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 12:33 pm
Please take a look at the telecomunication signage every where in the city (HotLink advertisement ). Why the advertisement promoting only third world country but not develop country??? Because Malaysia is in the same league with third world ranking. In football…..even Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore unable stay at top of them…malu.
#19 by shortie kiasu on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 2:17 pm
With the way the local universities are administered and run by a buch of mediocre personalities, closed to other races both staff and students, they heading to gutter in no time.
If that is the way the BN government and the malays & bumiputra of this country want, then so be it. Because this is one of the consequence of the ketuanan melayu.
#20 by lbl on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 2:40 pm
Hi “just a moment”, the moderator in YB LKS’s blog has been more than fair to all the messages posted. If you had posted the same type of messages which does not praise YB Theresa Kok, her moderator will delete your entire message and ban you from her blog.I dread to think what her moderator,adies will do if she was a Minister in the Federal Cabinet. Probably incite the residents to petition against all the mosques in Malaysia?
#21 by waterfrontcoolie on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 - 11:52 pm
UMNO has to keep everything under ‘control’ hence the need to appoint only very average Vice-chancellors. After all the ‘smart’ Bumis will prefer to join UMNO immediately after Form 5 and spend the next 3 to 4 ywears to form an Umno Branch and get enough suport to be either Chairman or Youth Chief. This very post itself will guarantee income fat better than going to 1/2 past 6 Us. And this again will guarantee his rights to 4 wives! { most likely U-grads!!]
So YB., all this feeling of sadness on your part will neither change nor convince them to think otherwise!!
#22 by catharsis on Wednesday, 5 November 2008 - 8:38 am
vsp Says:
November 3rd, 2008 (2 days ago) at 22: 45.15
I think Kassim Amat brain resides in the head that is found between his two legs, whose two best friends are two nuts living beside an asshole
GOING BY YOUR DEFINITION THIS KASSIM GUY IS A “DICK HEAD”………..