Malaysia has fallen completely out of the list of the world’s Top 200 Universities this year in the 2007 Times Higher Education Supplement (THES)-Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings.
This is a national shame, especially as occurring during the nation’s 50th Merdeka anniversary and it must serve as the latest warning to the national leaders to end their complacency and delusion that Malaysia is becoming more competitive globally when the reverse is actually the case.
Last year, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Malaya (UM) were listed at the tail-end of the Top 200 in the THES-QS ranking, and I had repeatedly warned both in and out of Parliament that Malaysia risks being pushed out of the 200 Top Universities ranking unless there is the political will to check brain-drain and restore meritocracy and excellence to Malaysian academia.
It gives me no satisfaction but extreme sadness to see my dire prediction come true!
UKM was ranked 185th last year, up from 289th spot in 2005, but has now fallen to 309th place.
For UM, once the nation’s premier university, it is a sorry tale of continuous decline. It was ranked among the world’s top 100 universities in 2004 at 89th position, fell to 169th in 2005 and 192nd placings in 2006, and is now out of the Top 200 league, having fallen to 246th spot!
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), which was ranked as the only “outstanding” five-star university in a recent government survey, has fallen to 307th spot from 277 last year. In 2005, USM was in the 326th spot.
It is pathethic that the reaction from the University of Malaya Vice Chancellor Datuk Rafiah Salim is just one of excuses as to why UM had been thrown out of the top 200 Top Universities league rather than a commitment to check the decline and restore the nation’s former premier university to its previous repute as one of the world’s top universities .
Rafiah attributes UM’s poor placing to the new methodology used to calculate rankings this year, pointing out that “Even the National University of Singapore (NUS) has dropped to the 33rd spot when it was within the top 10”.
Rafiah is right that NUS has dropped in this year’s ranking but wrong in saying that NUS was “within the top 10” last year.
NUS was ranked No. 19 last year and has dropped to No. 33 — a fall of 14 placings. In contrast, UM has dropped 54 places.
Even more pertinent, UM at 246th spot is now 213 places behind NUS (No. 33)! Why is this so when both universities had started off on almost the same footing half-a-century ago?
Despite the use of a new methodology in calculating the ranking this year, Singapore has been able to maintain two universities in the Top 200 list — NUS at No. 33 and Nanyang Technological University at 69th, while Malaysia’s two universities in the Top 200 list last year had been edged out completely. Why is this so?
#1 by sec on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 11:57 am
Kris -Wielding . AAB mean is like a cat show its claws to a rat and say: this is a weapon to defend myself (cat) and to protect you ( kawan-kawan). Showing claws to you (Rat) is my habit and tranditional.
#2 by mwt on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 12:08 pm
It was predictable UM was going out and gone now and will never be able to come back. In today’s STAR a glaring headline says
“We are among the top nations?†and UMNO was given all the credit when Abdullah declared “UMNO has built Malaysia from one of the poorest countries… to one of the most successful..â€Â
So we can now blame UMNO for exclusively causing all these drop in standards and rankings. More details and analysis in
http://powerpresent.blogspot.com/2007/11/wipe-out-malaysian-us-in-top-200-world.html
and see the top 200 list and why S’pore drops also.
#3 by oedipus on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 12:15 pm
its perception my friends! the whole world thinks that our public university standard dropped, but its just their perception. but for many of us this country, our universities is the top 10 in the world!
same thing with corruption index! perception only. they think our corruption is getting worse, but many in our cabinet (esp YB Nazri) do not think so!
really difficult to talk to ppl in denial, macam cakap dgn budak kecik.
#4 by oknyua on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 12:18 pm
YB Lim, knew this since a long time ago. A friend keep a job application letter from a U Kebangsaan graduate. During a bad day, he’d take it out to read to have a good laugh.
Sometimes he would scold me, “Why are you local graduates can’t even write and speak proper English?”
The answer is to look 20 years back. The student union made a protest asking my faculty this question: “Why must we have eternal examiners? Don’t we have confidence in our own standard?”
I thought I heard the echo of that protest in KJ’s speech. Deja vu, yeah, just look at today’s paper. So YB Lim, we are not just boiling frog, but coconut-shell frog as well. No more frog legs eh, YB.
#5 by pulau_sibu on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 12:19 pm
who is this zawawi? what kind of credential he has to fix our rotten system?
it is a disaster for our government. with the dirty cloth in the washing machine, can you ask one of them to clean the rest? afterall all of them are dirty
#6 by Jimm on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 12:21 pm
Ketuanan have already set their own perception over this country affairs as such any international interferences are not important.
These type of ranking doesn’t represents the country policies as we have now send a Malaysian to space and earned two “cost-more-nuts” licences from the organizer which we ‘paid’ for their services.
What they want are good Malaysian that obey their Ketuanan policies and be happy with what was given to them.
#7 by k1980 on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 12:26 pm
If a Japanese university has dropped 54 places in the rankings, its VC would had committed seppuku. But here, our VCs will start comparing with universities from Somalia and the other failed states
#8 by Jimm on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 12:35 pm
Everything in Malaysia can be ‘bought’.
Even studying in our local Us, a letter from someone ‘above’ will definitely get you a spot in the U. And most of these children are coming from ‘well-to’do’ or ‘well connected’ families that put their ‘ego’ first policies and status.
Something telling me that the 2nd fellow actually qualified better to go to ISS, however, because his ‘cable’ are not ‘broadbanded’ that whylah ..
#9 by Libra2 on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 12:39 pm
It is for this reason that all our ministers send their children to foreign universities in Australia, NZ , UK and USA.
Perhaps kit should ask Ministers and Barisan MPs to declare the number of children they have sent overseas for their tertiary education.
#10 by Joetan on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 12:50 pm
The selection of universities VCs in this country is based on skin colour instead of brains. For UMNO , they are not worry about the World University ranking but their KETUANAN MELAYU. As the result, Malaysia’s competitiveness will keep on falling compare to our neighbour, Singapore.
#11 by Jimm on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 1:11 pm
The subject of Ketuanan has be the most effective tool used by UMNO to control this country.
Do you think UMNO really bothers by the standard of their Ketuanan as highlighted by the world ?
I don’t see that point, I believe UMNO will forever be the ‘provider’ and ‘protector’ to those Ketuanan by keep their progress ‘checked’ and ‘capped’ so that UMNO will continue to rule forever.
Look at all the ‘aided’ priviledges that UMNO claimed for the Ketuanan, most of it are actually benefitting those ELITE Ketuanan more than those ‘hyped up” Ketuanan.
In terms of education skill and standard, UMNO chose not to upgrade to be a par player with the rest of the world because by doing so, they will be digging their own graves.
#12 by bokliang on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 1:16 pm
Not surprise as afterall there are NONE improvement in our education system.
#13 by Godfather on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 1:20 pm
SHAME ? What’s the meaning of this word ?
why should there be SHAME when we are still ahead of most African countries ?
#14 by voice on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 1:32 pm
nothing surprising, just “cause and effect”
#15 by wits0 on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 1:44 pm
Exactly, Godfather, what is SHAME to unabashed fascists? Is it vegetable, animal or mineral? Anything for mundane power and money!
Yet, without a sense of SHAME, only the eternal ABYSS beckons.
What is attainable with a dead brain is so much more easily acquired than what is required of for civilization.
Without (a sense of)SHAME (like with Conscience)which is universally endorseable, there’s nothing left to boast of in any human culture.
#16 by boh-liao on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 1:49 pm
Hey, don’t worry, everything can be fixed and bought.
With the crude oil price moving beyond US$100 per barrel soon, we will be super rich and filthy rich.
See, one month ago, we are nobody in space travel. Now, we are walking taller and longer because we are among a selected few nations to have a space traveler. It’s all about money – “money, money, money, aha-ahaaa, all the things I could do (ABBA, 1976)”. We will even have rockets, though used, soon. Boleh, boleh!
To be among the top 50 universities in the THES list, no problem. Forget about all the public universities here – no point flogging dead horses, even though we have now a lot more professors (Gred Khas C), nay, even senior professors (Gred Khas B and A), than a few years ago. Style and title yes, output no.
Umno will buy a foreign univerisity that is listed among the top 50 universities and then change its name to something like ‘Universiti UMNO Malaysia’. Voila, a top 50 or even 10 university with Malaysia in its name. Umno will employ all the originial staff there but appoint a Malay as the President (non-executive) of that university. Umno will then show off the President during 2008 Umno General Assembly. Mission accomplished, easy! Malays will walk taller and longer again.
#17 by smeagroo on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 1:58 pm
Rafiah attributes UM’s poor placing to the new methodology used to calculate rankings this year, pointing out that “Even the National University of Singapore (NUS) has dropped to the 33rd spot when it was within the top 10â€Â.
Raifah why dont u come up with ur own methodolgy to propel our local Unis back into top 10? Can ah?
#18 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 2:04 pm
SURPRISE, SURPRISE?
Ha, ha…anyone who’s been following the developments knows this is no SURPRISE. After all, Najib is waiting to train their GLOKALS for world placing only in 2057. SO, no need to worry about university standings now.
As for the rest of the UMNO Cabinet, perhaps half of them have no degrees or only degrees from unranked universities. So it’s the proverbial frog syndrome basking in their comnfort zone whilst the world drifts by and they burn to extinction.
See the latest NUS advertisement in “The Economist” for the LKY School of Public Policy. There is an unabashed appeal to meritocracy and scholarships are based, not on colour, creed or religion – but meritocracy. AAB, Najib, Mustapha, Hishammuddin (incidentally all from UMNO) speaks of meritocracy as if those are foreign syllables and have difficulty even conceptualising them. Hence, Malaysian universities droppings….NO SURPRISE till 2057.
Meanwhile, Najib should concentrate on his space Odyssey. Maybe come 2057, Najib can join another space tourist to any of the dozens of ISS’s that may have sprouted by then, none of which will be Malaysian, I bet! (i.e. if Najib still any adrenaline left by then).
#19 by k1980 on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 2:15 pm
Of the top 100 Universities, not a single one is from a muslim country!
http://blog.beerkens.info/index.php/thes-qs-world-university-rankings-2007-top-100-universities/
#20 by Godfather on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 3:41 pm
Graduates of our local universities are no longer employable overseas. For “them”, there is no worry, for the gomen will take care of them after graduation.
#21 by ngahc on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 4:39 pm
“Even more pertinent, UM at 246th spot is now 213 places behind NUS (No. 33)! Why is this so when both universities had started off on almost the same footing half-a-century ago?
Despite the use of a new methodology in calculating the ranking this year, Singapore has been able to maintain two universities in the Top 200 list – NUS at No. 33 and Nanyang Technological University at 69th, while Malaysia’s two universities in the Top 200 list last year had been edged out completely. Why is this so?”
Very good question…answer is obvious but there is no political will from the government.
I still believe non-bumi local u graduate are of good quality as they were admitted in by STPM. Anyway, it is not easy for non-bumi to get a place in UM’s medical / engineering course. A minority portion of local u graduates are still up to the mark and equally good with NUS / NTU. Let employers or MNC be the judge and select the gems from the sands.
#22 by melurian on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 5:33 pm
are you sure the ranking is accurate. the sil apparently graduate from the #3 univ in the world, and why is he still act like dat. must be fate one….
#23 by boilingmad on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 5:51 pm
Jimm has hit the nail right on the head. Why would UMMO want to have good quality education? Good quality education mean more Malays using their heads, hence, difficult to control later on. The more stupid they are, the better & easier to control, manipulate and lied to.
And with no-quality UMMOputras to lead the country, forget about quality, integrity, meritocracy and the likes. The only things that UMMOputras have learnt well is how to excel in the arts of corruption and apartheid!! That’s the ONLY ‘skill’ they have.
#24 by raven77 on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 6:13 pm
What has become of this country…University Malaya….the pride of a nation…down in the gutter ….and led by an uninspiring VC with poor academic qualifications…….this is a very irresponsible government that must be shown the door………
#25 by AnakTiriMalaysia on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 6:25 pm
There is no surprises with the country’s U…. with the NEP formula is would only continue to head south…
……So that AAB means by
CEMERLANG.. GEMILANG …TERBILANG??
seems like more like TEMBELANG
#26 by UnkerLai on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 6:40 pm
It all peoples’ percerption only. No crisis at all. Where got Joe Public talk about this. Go to the country side, no one complain, go to the coffee shop, also no one complain. Much ado about nothing….
#27 by boh-liao on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 8:14 pm
It is imperative that our public universities remain under the firm control of Umno and BN. The staff and students there must not be too enlightened until they are so smart that they become the agents of change – to vote against the racist Umno and BN.
That’s why since 1999 (the year Umno was almost voted out), promotion became very easy especially for Malay academic staff. With titles like senior professor, professor, associate professor, director, head, dean, etc., Malay academics become Umno-friendly and also ensure that during the annual student elections, the BN-friendly fraction must win.
So, mana ada masa for serious research and publication? Why both about citation index? The funny thing about Malaysian universities is that with better pay, service conditions, research grants, etc., compared to their counterparts in, say, Thailand, their performance, in terms of publications in high impact factor journals and citation index, is pathetic. In fact, the graph is stagnant or pointing south.
Don’t evaluate citation per faculty. Please evaluate the number of SUV per faculty and the number of children per faculty (truly productive)!
#28 by boh-liao on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 8:15 pm
Sorry, Why bother about citation index?
#29 by Filibuster on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 8:57 pm
When our Education Minister uses the word “desensitise” in such a manner, who would expect any better a result in the rankings? Waiting for such a result is akin to waiting for Pandora’s Box to open…
#30 by negarawan on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 10:25 pm
What’s the big surprise? Many lecturers in the local universities cannot even understand and write proper English, the international language of research
#31 by bra888 on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 11:33 pm
It’s not enough that we’re among the worst in the corruption index, it’s not enough that we’re also among the worst in the freedom of press index. Now, our universities aren’t worth being evaluated?
‘Good job’
I believe someone should hold responsibility for this, and I don’t mean it in a nice forgiving way. I believe that this should be taken very very seriously.
How many more ‘awards’ can our country withstand in the hall of shame?
#32 by inandty on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 11:37 pm
2 years ago i have said that the ranking of M’sian uni will continue to drop for the next 5 years.
Let’s c how it will suffer next year and next year.
#33 by malaysiatoday.com on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 11:40 pm
The staff and students selection process is based on Bolehland meritocary system where Ah Meng like me had to studied STPM and Ahmad only needs to pass matrikulasi exam.
UMNO politician shamelessly declared to the world that Ah Meng and Ahmad both are selected on the same academic standard.
I don’t mean to belittle Malay race as a whole, I would like to challenge any Malay students sitting STPM with me and see what grade they can acheive in STPM.
For you record, only one Malay student in my bio-math STPM class and unfortunately this particular Malay could not scored more than 10 marks in any papers.
I tried to help him since both of us are from a same kampong, but I have to say his was maths foundation and no way his can pass any math and science subjects.
To compare STPM with matrikulasi is alike comparing an apple with an orange. STPM is renowed for its damned tough and high standard even compared to Cambridge A-level.
In my year, 90% of bumi students sponsored by Mindef to a local university was totally no qualified to be accepted as u student. The result spoke itself, more than 90% of them flunked in exam.
If our local universities are filled with a bunch of dead woods of staff and students, how on earth the standard of academics in local universities can be on par with others.
#34 by Traveller on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 11:42 pm
Malaysian universities are lucky to be in the top 310 because THES has assigned too much weight to peer review (40%). If they want to compare more rigorously, like using the Shanghai JiaoTung’s ranking, Malaysian universities are not even in the top 500.
#35 by malaysiatoday.com on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 11:43 pm
Resend due to accidentally submitted my post.
malaysiatoday.com Says:
The staff and students selection process is based on Bolehland meritocary system where Ah Meng like me had to studied STPM and Ahmad only needs to pass matrikulasi exam.
UMNO politician shamelessly declared to the world that Ah Meng and Ahmad both are selected on the same academic standard.
I don’t mean to belittle Malay race as a whole, I would like to challenge any Malay students sitting STPM with me and see what grade they can acheive in STPM.
For you record, only one Malay student in my bio-math STPM class and unfortunately this particular Malay could not scored more than 10 marks in any papers.
I tried to help him since both of us are from a same kampong, but I have to say his was too weak in maths foundation and no way his can pass any math and science subjects.
To compare STPM with matrikulasi is alike comparing an apple with an orange. STPM is renowed for its damned tough and high standard even compared to Cambridge A-level.
In my year, 90% of bumi students sponsored by Mindef to a local university was totally unqualified to be accepted as university student. The result spoke itself, more than 90% of them flunked in examination.
If our local universities are filled with a bunch of dead woods of staff and students, how on earth the standard of academics in local universities can be on par with others.
My 2 cents thought.
#36 by bra888 on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 11:54 pm
‘We’ did it again! Are ‘we’ good in being bad or what!
#37 by k1980 on Friday, 9 November 2007 - 11:56 pm
To compare STPM with matrikulasi is like comparing a durian with a rambutan respectively. Try cracking open a durian with your bare hands and then open a rambutan with a twist of your fingers.
#38 by malaysiatoday.com on Saturday, 10 November 2007 - 12:06 am
k1980 Says:
November 9th, 2007 at 23: 56.05
To compare STPM with matrikulasi is like comparing a durian with a rambutan respectively. Try cracking open a durian with your bare hands and then open a rambutan with a twist of your fingers.
===
dUmno people will rebut you both are “buah-buahan”.
#39 by digard on Saturday, 10 November 2007 - 12:48 am
“Why is this so?”
The question warrants an answer of several hours to read. There is no fast lane to it; and some adjustments here or there will not at all improve anything. Neither will sending 100.000 overseas to pursue their studies.
What I don’t understand is, how can the VCs go stubbornly along and announce for 20 universities in this country to be among the 10 best by 2015 globally? Who will believe this? But that’s our mentality, we just let them talk and count the minutes for the exercise to end. We subscribe to ‘harmony’ when the VC of UiTM declared in 2005/2006 that UiTM had achieved a position in front of Harvard. At the same time it was one of the 10 leading research universities globally, so the VC in a staff meeting.
Talk could not be any more hollow than that. Accountability cannot be lower than zero.
What bothers me even more, is the current trend by MoHE to streamline all universities, including the private ones, into an indistinguishable agglomeration of almost identical institutions fully directed by MoHE. At least in all places that I know, committee memberships and paperwork proving success and scientific activities are gradually replacing research.
I need to defend many a staff here: Though there is a hardcore stubborn minority of believers, the vast majority is well aware that all of these blueprints, masterplans and other activities are nothing but deliberate window-dressing for the advancement of the ministerial hierarchies. The societal culture simply is one of vertical organisation, leaders-and-followers, power distance.
#40 by undergrad2 on Saturday, 10 November 2007 - 1:25 am
For the last forty years or so, the politics of language and education offers an opportunity for the far right of UMNO and Malay conservatives to continue their struggle towards a truly free and independent Malaysia. These leaders from the Youth Wing of the Party rose to become leaders and occupied positions of power and they have retired or passed on. Their place has been taken over by a new generation of UMNOristas who had spent time overseas during their most formative years educating themselves in western values – and among them democratic values, of popular representation and of a freely elected government.
Upon their return but after having seen how their predecessors indulged in the politics of language and education and emerged to occupy seats of power, they feel drawn to it like a needle to a magnet – but this time betraying all that they have learned in exchange for the shortsightedness of their ambitions, subordinating national aspirations to a narrow form of Malay nationalism.
As their children, beneficiaries of not only a western style education but western education, return to take over their places they will no doubt once again be pins to a magnet.
The result?? Our tertiary educational institutions would continue to “grow” to be fertile grounds for racists and bigots of the future. After years of abuse, it requires a visionary leader among the Malays to stop the rot.
Who can blame anyone who thinks that waiting for that visionary leader to emerge is akin to the Jews waiting for their Messiah to come after some 2,000 years!
#41 by jjt on Saturday, 10 November 2007 - 3:32 am
i totally agree!!!as a local university student , i m actually quite sad with the situation that lots of excellent students din’t get the courses that they applied. instead, almost all of those students in popular courses are not those excellent in their studies.this is why more and more students nowadays are heading toward other higher institutions than local uni. come on wake up,excuses cant bring our ranking up,dont cheat urself!!! i think tat with our current standards , we actually cannot compare wif NUS!!! it is so shame to compare wif them!!! to produce graduates of quality is much more important than quantity!!
#42 by Bigjoe on Saturday, 10 November 2007 - 8:13 am
‘New Methodologies’ is a fact of life. The world changes what the slide reflect is no different in shift in power and importance we all know as globalization.
New universities are added to the radar screen, improved methods of measurements etc. These are no different in way things are made, the work we do, the way we work etc.
It all mean that in reality we are falling behind a changing world.
Yesterday, our DPM said that if we remove the subsidy on oil, then we would have RM40billion more to spend on development. Remove the subsidy today and our economy would spin into a recession. Remove over a few years, and growth would slow by at least a point or two. Make it up with spending? How long will that last and we all knows it mostly goes into the pockets of Scomi and Monsoon Cup stakeholders.?Najib talk of reaching for the stars and yet his ideas are practically stone-age…
Contrast what Rafiah said to Singapore response. It was ranked in 10th place and no gov official even made peep but now it has fallen, there are warning of apathy and resolve to be better..
I tell you, they don’t get it, they just don’t.
#43 by Jan on Saturday, 10 November 2007 - 9:34 am
This Malay led govt isn’t very smart. They rather hire or promote mediocre people of their race than other races who are better qualified. They forget ultimately it’s their children who suffer in the hands of mediocre lecturers since most of the students are of their race. I guess Ketuanaan is more important than excellence. That’s why mediocrity will continue in Bodohland until they get out of their ketuanaan mode.
#44 by leesze on Saturday, 10 November 2007 - 9:35 am
If we were to read the Time Higher Education Supplement World University Rankings in more detail, you would see this statement
“In addition, we have strengthened our safeguards against individuals voting for their own university in the peer review
part of the analysis… But we suspect that some Malaysian and Singaporean institutions have lost out because of our increased rigour over voting for one’s own university, and there are no Malaysian universities in this top 200.”
The statement suggests that UM, USM, UKM and so did not really qualify for the top-200 anyway in the previous years – their ranking was artificially inflated and bubbled up because academics ‘voted for themselves’ in the previous surveys.
Isn’t this worrying…?
#45 by cancan on Saturday, 10 November 2007 - 9:42 am
The Umnoputras will never admit their mistakes.
To them,because of their ketuanan mindset,they think they are the best.
How pathetic.
The education system is already in a mess.
Just because the rural Malays,cannot have a good start in the English language,they postpone the implementation of the teaching of Science and Maths in English.
Don’t worry Umnoputras,I will call the whole world to wait for you.
#46 by cleancut on Saturday, 10 November 2007 - 11:04 am
Be it in School or at work. As long as we are in “MALAY”………SIA. Qualification is not so important but “Kulitfication” came first. Therefore, we all should know whether all those profesors are really qualified or simply “kulitfied”.
#47 by Jan on Saturday, 10 November 2007 - 12:06 pm
The whole world is fast changing even Singapore a meritocratic society is not spared. Their premier univeristies’ rankings have slipped inspite of having the best facilities and academic staff money can buy and a very stringent student admission requirement.
Whereas our universities continue to be run on race based policies and the much maligned NEP I honestly don’t see us improving ever.
Our country also has a very unique university entrance exam system whereby all Malays go through a one year matriculation exam and the other races through a much tougher 2 year STPM. Why is it so unfair to the minority races? Do you think such a system will improve the quality of our higher education? Of course not. It will bring down the standard of our universities and will harm the competitiveness of the beneficiary race.
I guess Ketuanaan has a lot to do with this, they rather have the numbers than the quality of their kind. They have no qualms retarding the progress of other races thinking the whole world will wait for them. They fail to realise if other races progress it will bring great benefits to the country and to cause the bumiputras themselves to compete. At present, making obstacles so that the minorities will slow down enough for them to catch up is the name of the game. Certainly a most racist and unfair system of governing that will bring down this country.
#48 by kcb on Saturday, 10 November 2007 - 12:37 pm
What？ With a VC who can‘t even get the very basic fact right
（ranking of NUS）you expect her to bring MU to within top 200 ranking？ Keep dreamingï¼Â
#49 by choc on Saturday, 10 November 2007 - 4:42 pm
How to get in the top 200 list when there are actually university students who can’t understand simple English, like this.
“Group discussion, on Friday, 2pm at the library.”
Got a reply back like this. “Apa kamu cakap ni? Ku x faham la.”
Wow.. I wonder how they got a place into the university..
#50 by choc on Saturday, 10 November 2007 - 5:45 pm
How to get into the top 200 list, when university students don’t even understand simple english like this:
“Group discussion, Friday, 2pm at the library.”
Got back a reply, “Apa kamu cakap ni? Ku x faham la.”
I wonder, how on earth that they got a place in the university?
#51 by MidClassMsian on Saturday, 10 November 2007 - 5:54 pm
The TUANs are not afraid of the dropping of standards in our universities, they don’t care. The DON’T care.
Like every Ah Meng, Ah Lian, Siva and Punita, I sat for STPM in order to gain a place in one of the local universities.
Matrikulasi is nowhere near STPM in terms of its intellectual quality and level of difficulty. Period.
Meritocracy in this land is non-existent, right from primary school all the way to tertiary education.
In 1991, my batch of students who took part in SPM exam created some very interesting stats. There were 9 students who scored 7 or more As but failed to score a credit in Bahasa Malaysia, some even with 8 straight As. Also, about 34% of studens fail to score at least a credit for BM. The result was definitely not in normal distribution. Interesting, because in the same school, the other exam center produced some totally different (and normal) results where majority of the students scored between C3 and C6; thus, a perfectly normal bell curve.
For the earlier-mentioned exam center above, students had to look for alternatives as they were not qualified to study in Form 6 (in gov schools). For those whose family could afford, left this country; the rest decided to waste one more year for SPM to get at least a credit in BM, some decided to get a job then only decide what to do.
For your information, in those who left the country, one is now a qualified petroleum engineer in USA, one is a neuro surgeon in Singapore, one is a lawyer in England………the list goes on.
Well, who cares????
The excellent gov of this country can only take care of some people, but at the expense of other people. All are Malaysians. Unfortunately, different treatments are applied.
I have been struggling in looking for the answers for all these funny, silly, appalling, stupid, ignorant, shiok sendiri, arrogant, dishonest……….policies.
I think some people are just too afraid to lose, not even at the cost of this country’s development and maturity. They would not want to give anything away to other races. The longer they wait, they more their own people are hurt. Somehow they are just so afraid to lose, kiasi. Or maybe the stake is just too much now, there is simply no way back anymore. The rhetoric of asking the people t be independent and don’t rely on assistance are just bullshit. That person knows it is almost impossible to reverse the situation. Bad habits die hard, and bad habits are getting worse.
Its not only in education, but all aspects of our lives, ie business opportunity, welfare, etc.
I just hope something will happen to right the wrongs. Unfortunately, that thing might not be pleasant and can even be revolutionary.
#52 by pulau_sibu on Saturday, 10 November 2007 - 11:10 pm
UTM is happy to be within top 500! the VC mentioned about bringing in more international professors, but from where? from Indonesia and all these Islamic countries with all the unknown international professors? go and get the most well known ones
#53 by Wang on Sunday, 11 November 2007 - 5:25 am
Quoted from The Australian (06-Nov-2007):
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22727653-12332,00.html
“However the THES ranking system has come under fire following a new analysis of it and its main rival, Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Academic Ranking of World Universities.
Writing in the November edition of the Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, Macquarie academics Paul Taylor and Richard Braddock said the Jiao Tong system was “clearly superior”.
“In emphasising research, it (the Jiao Tong) focuses on one of the essential functions of a university … in contrast with the THES system, which gives great weight to (subjective) peer review, the Jiao Tong system concerns itself with genuine criteria rather than mere symptoms of excellence,” the pair said.”
#54 by chgchksg128 on Monday, 12 November 2007 - 10:44 pm
I found a blog that has the full ranking download with analysis.
http://2hard2lie.blogspot.com/
http://2hard2lie.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html