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Call for
Royal Commission of Inquiry to end protracted higher education crisis and to
rebrand Malaysia as a truly international centre of academic excellence
competitive with Singapore and Australia in the region
Speech at the Parliamentary Roundtable Dialogue
by Lim Kit Siang
(Committee
Room 2, Parliament,
Friday):
This parliamentary
roundtable has been convened to address the protracted and worsening higher
education crisis in Malaysia recently highlighted by the controversies
involving the University of Malaya over Dr. Terence Gomez’ prestigious
research appointment to the United Nations Research Institute for Social
Development (UNRISD) in Geneva and the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) over
the tenure of its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Mohamad Zohadie Bardaie.
Recently, I asked a local
academic about the state of higher education in Malaysia, and this is his
response:
1.
Overall Mood
There is much frustration within
the academic community about falling standards, declining professionalism,
poor remuneration especially for younger academics, political interference,
etc.
2. Leadership
Unlike in Thailand and the Philippines where the academic staff (apart from
the ministry) gets to nominate their VCs/chancellors, we have no say
whatsoever. Instead people who are well connected politically become VCs/DVCs/Deans.
The process of selection should be made transparent. The minimum should be
that they are internationally respected scholars so that they can command
the confidence of the academic staff. We need people of the stature of Ungku
Aziz, Hamzah Sendut again. At this point, the VCs only have the confidence
of the ministry.
3. Political Interference
If Malaysian universities are to be able to compete internationally, not
only should the VCs be serious academics, but other positions should also be
filled by academics of the highest quality. All forms of political
interference should be gotten rid of. The recent episode concerning the UPM
VC is a case in point. Much much more autonomy must be given to the
universities. Wherefore, otherwise, the creativity and originality that
universities are to provide in any society? At this point they function more
like glorified three-year-long national service camps and produce “yes” men
and women.
4. Academic Excellence
Promotions should be made transparent, peer-reviewed and awarded to
internationally-respected scholar/researchers. (There has been some measure
of progress on this score in a few universities. Different areas have been
identified and points awarded for this and that.) But too much emphasis is
still being given for promotion on the basis of 'administration' (for
example, deanship - deans are not appointed on the basis of academic
achievement). It ends up with the blind leading the blind.
The internationally-recognised measure of excellence is also publishing in
the top journals, not winning medals in exhibitions which has become the
fetish with Malaysian universities. No world-class university prides itself
on that basis.
If excellence becomes the criteria, then it will allow for the KJ Ratnams
and Yip Yat Hoongs (perhaps even people like Jomo and Chandra) to rise up
the ranks as well, and in so doing allow for a greater measure of
multi-ethnic representation in the higher echelons.
To further academic excellence,
competition among the universities should be encouraged. Allow for 2-3
Malaysian universities to excel rather than level all of them down. The
immediate goal is to ensure that we can compete with the likes of National
University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore Nanyang Technological University
(NTU), Seoul National University/Yonsei/Sogang, Kyoto/Tokyo/Keio, HKU/City
UniHK/CUHK, Indian Institutes of Technology and Australian universities
(many younger than Malaysian ones).
5. Remuneration
To further excellence, the best brains must be attracted to the
universities.We are no longer recruiting the top students as before. Apart
from enhancing promotion prospects on the basis of merit/scholarship and
making that process transparent, there is an urgent need to make the pay
scheme more attractive.
Twenty years ago, university lecturers earned salaries which were
competitive with the other professions. There was also deep respect for
those who opted for a life of research and scholarship. Today that respect
has vanished. Starting salaries for those with PhDs (obtained perhaps
fiveyears after the basic degree) are about RM3,000 (RM2000 basic, RM150
civil service allowance and RM700 housing). This is no fast track. Many,
instead, are attracted to the business, IT, computer sectors apart from the
professions.
This problem is getting very acute with the retirement of the older
lecturers who aspired to be world class, and the new crop of lecturers who,
in the first instance, were not such good students while undergraduates.
6. Students
Promoting the democratization is a good thing. Hence there has been a
proliferation of universities and colleges. It's alright to lower standards
to ensure ethnic quotas, etc. But once these students come in, the highest
and most stringent standards should be enforced before they are allowed to
graduate.
Under Najib, the four-year system was changed to a three-year system despite
the protests of educators. It has proven to be a disaster with so many
graduates unable to find employment.
Apart from restoring the four-year system (which the government is planning
to bring back), they should ensure that graduates are IT-savvy, speak and
write English well (acquiring a certain standard of English should be made
compulsory not least because we operate in a global environment), allow
students time to mature via classes as well as extracurricular activities.
Students should also be allowed greater freedom to conduct these
extracurricular activities which in fact are now closely monitored and
organised for them by the office of the DVC Student Affairs. How, therefore,
to mature and gain confidence?
7. Private Universities
The emergence of private
universities/colleges poses a related problem.With money-making the end goal
for many of them, most of their staff do not have PhDs (so they are cheaper
to employ), they teach ridiculously long hours and have no time for
research, and are used to teach courses in areas for which they have little
training and expertise. Attempts to set up an academic staff union have been
stymied and the activists concerned harassed.
These seven points
probably can serve as a good opener for this roundtable dialogue on the
deplorable state of higher education in Malaysia, which has been catapulted
to the centre of the national radar screen by the Terence Gomez and Mohamad
Zohadie affairs.
It is clear
that there is an urgent need for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to end the
protracted higher education crisis and to rebrand Malaysia as a truly
international centre of academic excellence competitive with Singapore and
Australia in the region
(27/05/2005)
* Lim Kit Siang,
Parliamentary Opposition Leader, MP for Ipoh Timur & DAP
Central Policy and Strategic Planning Commission
Chairman
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