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).
Lim Kit Siang was purely trying to use this ranking result to ridicule our Education Minister and his ministry. He can say anything he wants but why didn’t he question the fairness and the degree of independence of such ranking system? Everyone knows that Malaysia has been an important regional education centre and many foreigners choose to come here to advance their tertiary study. Does this not have an impact on the ranking system? Is the ranking system fair?
In nutshell, although our universities are not within the top 200, we should be proud that our universities are still ranked within the top 300 in the world. This means that our universities are still world class and of high standard. We should not be too concerned on some funny result that came from other countries because their aim is to downplay our universities.
What do one expect when acceptance into our universities are based on one’s skin colour? As long as meritocracy is thrown out of the window, don’t expect the ranking to improve. Consider it as a compliment if it do not drop further. The whole education is so pathetic.
Boring…boring…same topic being posted over and over agin…What specificall LKS wanted to highlight? Appoint non Bumi to be the VC so ranking can be upgraded?
race race race, it is always about the colour of the skin… if a white VC and turn our uni into world class, why not? It doesn’t matter what colour we are, the most important thing is to provide a good education, better economy…
We are still better than Ghana.
Dear All,
It is by no surprise that the standards of Malaysian universities continue to plunge on a year on year basis. The measurement standards adopted by the Malaysian government on its local universities is an internal barometer which is poles apart from the international norms. While it can be argued that universities ranking can never be 100% accurate but it does provide indications as to the quality of the instituitions. For example, I believe there will be no major difference if a university is ranked 185 vis-a-vis another one at 205 but the issue at hand now is the quality of the university’ students churned out on a yearly basis. The most important thing is how many of these “graduates” are meeting the standards of multi national companies to enable them full employment. The marketable values of these “graduates” are unfortunately very low and the government ought to do something drastic now to change the situation.
I have mentioned earlier that the education system in Malaysia today is drawn up to satisfy popular demand as practically everyone wants a tertiary education, thinking that it will lead to a better life even if it means lowering the quality of education. My experience is that not many multi national companies prefer to employ our local graduates as they have found them incompetent and very shallow in general knowledge. The other major point is that majority of these local graduates are less conversant in English. However, when the government drawn up the education system in Malaysia, its priority is provide everyone a tertiary education and the quality has been severely sacrified and compromised as a result. I have met a Malay lady that prefers her children to be educated in Islamic school as she believe that her children will one day be graduates, becoming judge and doctor.
Do you think that is possible? It is possible as there will be more syariah courts requiring lawyers but am not quite sure if the children will end up becoming medical officers. The point is that Malaysia is slowly moving away from the actual mainstream of education so as to satisfy the voice of majority and could one day face serious indigestion cause by our half baked graduates. They are all over the place and some 75,000 of them are unemployed.
Who will take the honour of employing them?
Proud to be in top 300? keep on “prouding” and see what we will get next year!
Haha, when the ranking is on falling trend, the UMNO-thinking-people will keep lying to themselves, that they are still “good” rather than taking steps to cure the wound, truly BOLEH!
Kasim Amat comment is symptomatic of why the country cannot progress. This is the typical ‘kampung mentality’. This has been the same response when they cannot defend themselves. The problem ALWAYS lies with the ranking system instead of looking at oneself and try to improve. Its not ALWAYS about politics. LKS is highlighting this issue because WE HAVE NOT IMPROVE! WE ARE NOT PROGRESSING!
Bear in mind that why foreign students come into this country is because of numerous reasons. Firstly it is because of private colleges. The private colleges here are affiliated with oversea universities and not the local universities. If the local universities are good i reckon our private colleges will too try to affialiate themselves with the locals. Good brands sell. Poor brands languish behind. Secondly, most of these students come from other countries whose education system is worse than ours. So unless we want to compete and downgrade ourselves to their standard we can be number 1. If there is education opportunities in their own countries i doubt they will come over here. I dont think even Singaporean students will come to Malaysian universities.
Some Malaysians are a xenophobic bunch. In their restricted mind they believe that there is always a conspiracy against them by the rest of the world. The purpose of foreign media and ranking bodies is to downgrade Malaysia – whether its in terms of education or democracy or development. A trypical response will be like ‘ ..because they are jeolous of our … ( fill in the blanks ) …. A trypical ignorance response.
As for cintanegara response it is not ALWAYS about race. When the education system in the country improves it will benefit all races. Its rakyat becomes more globally marketable and no one will be left behind not even the poor.
Ranking of the universities in terms of academic is one issue; but on the other hand, famous univ like the Uni of Malaya has an environment and compound which is cont to rot over the years –
1. unmanned roads with full of pot holes – horrible condition
(pipe laying could take up more than 2 months to do and yet still incomplete, and pot holes are just everywhere!)
2. severe shortage of car parks resulting in vehicles parked everywhere along the yellow line; thus causing more traffic congestion
3. Poor security check point – most vehicles could just pass thru without checking (as long as u wave ur hand at the guards, they will think u r one of the staffs there!)
4. Old and filthy condition in the most, if not all, of the hostels
etc..
Just look at how Singapore NUS’s campus, and also Shanghai Uni’s campus – and u will just feel damn embarassed of our own “prestigious” UM!
Malaysia boleh! Last year target achieved. Next target – 350.
Hi Kasim Amat,
If “our universities are of world class and of high standards”, why are many of our graduates unemployed? Graduates of world class universities will be interviewed for jobs even before they graduate.
I am sure other countries if not Malaysia, will employ them in the commerical world. Is this the case for our graduate?
Hoi Kasim Amat, it’s better to be among the top 1000 lah. Then the figure will be bigger mah! Ha ha ha.
What to do. Brilliant students with good results need to study abroad (or some even forced to quit studies) while some are practically ‘shove’ into the local u’s as long as there’s connections!
What education management do you expect these UMNO guys know?
Smart ones are educated overseas…knowing next to nothing about leadership nor management..as all are pampered children.
Stupid ones…have some commonsense….but have low class educations themselves.
This is my personal thoughts..but Anwar said….those UMNO guys are afraid to have smart chancellors. They feel shameful…..employing people smarter than them.
They are especially.. afraid to have smart Chinese or Indians Chancellors.
How else..to keep playing race and religion politics…employing nitwits and idiots…no problem…as long as they are pro UMNO…same kind of thinking.
But wait a little longer….they will change few rules in educations..to win votes. We will see an Indian Chancellor …for sure.
One doze at a time….for the so call…
“winning formula”….by Najib.
Can you imagine an established company… for more than 50 years….monopolizing the business….needs a “WINNING FORMULA”…against newcomers??
That’s University of Tong Sampah….graduates talking.
We get what we asked for. So live with it.
I am sure….UMNO will never feel shameful.
How can they be…giving Tun….Tan Sri…to crooks with little or no education at all..,,and mind you…so filthy rich…so successful.
Who needs higher education …to succeed in Malaysia….under UMNO.
lbl Says:
Today at 17: 34.08 (3 minutes ago)
Hi Kasim Amat,
If “our universities are of world class and of high standards”, why are many of our graduates unemployed? Graduates of world class universities will be interviewed for jobs even before they graduate.
I am sure other countries if not Malaysia, will employ them in the commerical world. Is this the case for our graduate?
==========================
Our UMNO racist government has ensured that :
1. From year one in skool, ower lokel graduets are teached dat Ketuanan Melayu aso meen Bahasa Melayu number #1. Bahasa Orang Putih tak usah.
2. In Malaysia, even a useless drug addict Mat Rempit is considered Tuan over all others not of same color. He will be given priority for place in our “WORLD CLASS” uni because in Tuan-land, they can’t even pronounce meritocracy much less understand the concept.
3. Our non-pendatang graduates are guaranteed 101% financing and support for life. After all, non-pendatang are supposed to work their fingers to the bones and pay the bulk of income tax to support them. The NEP is proof that non-pendatangs cannot walk on their own 2 feet. They are so fragile they need all pendatangs to help them for life. They are after all Tuans.
UMNO is an inspiration…..how to get rich….. with little or no education.
Not only that…..they will teach you..”Have style…will succeed”
So…dress up with idiotic titles…Datuk….Tan Sri….Tun
Most important…must have thick skin face…be proud of stolen money and title…never admit anything stolen.
Go face all Malaysians……make them feel small….and command.
Money is power. Don’t worry….if you have all the
‘greens’….everywhere you go..you will be respected. Give big tips to doormen…bell boys…when you travel.
So..who needs higher education in Malaysia?
Ahhhh…their children do….quietly overseas….never local ones….so they can come back…to boast…how great they are..
So you see…making half past sixes..also planned for University students. No wonder….they are so confident to rule forever.
Now you folks know what I have to deal with, with Kasim Amat as my bisnes partner.
Kasim Amat says our Proton cars are the best. If they are no good, how come Proton cars are the biggest sellers in Malaysia ? Kasim Amat says our education system is the best, otherwise how would the students from Africa come to study here ? Kasim Amat says that our gomen is the best and most stable in the region. Where else can you find a government that has ruled since 1956 ? Kasim amat says we are a peaceful country. Just look at Sudan, and Congo.
Yeah, Kasim, we are the best, and those who complain just don’t understand how lucky they are….
Dear Kasim Amat. Your statement cannot go without a response.
For better or worse these rankings provide a peer comparison with other universities around the world. Is it absolutely correct – probable not. Is it indicative – definitely yes.
The issues with the public universities in Malaysia are:
– quality of students entering the universities.
– quality of lecturers
– administration of the university
We have to admit that the quality of the above are mediocre. A special Officer in the 4th floor of the PM office onetime said he wanted quantity education and not quality education. With this kind of adviser in the government, how can we expect to have quality input to the universities. It appear mediocrity and not excellence is a policy. This special officer is still in government service.
Until and unless we institute fair and competitive entry condition and employ the best in the academic staff, Malaysian public universities will continue to drop in the rankings. No amount of fiddling with the survey points will help. In search of excellence is the only solution. Playing with numbers will result in disaster.
I am not surprised that Malaysia will be behind Vietnam next year.
And a parting shot. For a country that do not recognise Tsinghua University degree, how can we know excellence when we see it. Tsinhgua University is recognised internationally as the top ranking university in China and 2007 rank no 40 best university. I am sure Tsinghua will complain they should ranked higher and the survey was biased.
In conclusion, until we get an honest and sincere Higher Education Minister, i do not hope to see any changes. I hope YB Lim will keep making the life of the minister miserable.
Kasim has always argued that the moon is closer to KL than Singapore. If it is the other way round, how come we can see the moon and not Singapore ?
Uncle Lim, your postings are always eye openers!!
In fact, which aspect of Malaysian life is good AND beneficial to the people?
UMNO/BN are too busy with their “struggles”!
Struggles for what?
For improving the lot of the people?
No, struggle to divvy up the cake between themselves!
Under the circumstances, is it any wonder that our unis and everything else have gone to the dogs?
It is undeniable LKS potings are always bias towards certain community. The subjects are Stereotype and nothing constructive. Reffering to the previous postings, same topics are brought up again and again…. No wonder the categories are set upfront…
Cintanegara:
If this blog is so biased, why are you reading this blog ? Is it because you get paid, like my partner Kasim Amat, RM 200 for each entry ? If you think it is biased, then stop reading and go somewhere else la. It’s far better if you just continue to sit under the coconut tree and watch the sunsets. Life would be less stressful for you, no ?
And what has the ranking of universities got to do with race ? Is it because siapa yang makan lada, dia lah yang merasa pedas ?
Forget Kasim Amat, I suspect he’s a troll.
When our universities ranking slide below 500, they will make sure we are in the top 1000 , for numbers mean nothing to them. For them, the bigger the number the better, just like their bank savings
I tend to agree with Kasim…if one wants to compare Malaysia with Congo or Sudan..and if I bring my mentalities… .to as low as Kasim.
That is the art..to make us feel ..how lucky we are..comparing with the worst countries.
Why not compare with Australia. Both have so much natural resources.
How are the two countries education…health care…social care…economic…social and political situations…..who is stronger and why?
One keep IGNORING…good life is due to our blessed natural richness….being raped …beaten…ill treated….yet still very strong…because it is blessed…to be able to withstand so much beatings..thus Malaysians are still enjoying some good life.
If that is in Congo and Sudan….humans maybe eating humans ……to survive.
Kasim talked about cars and education….like a nut.
Leave him alone.
Judging from his train of thoughts and way of thinking,
Kasim Amat is a product of our local university.
Need I say more?
Now, now, there is no reason at all for us to get angry. It is obvious that this ranking is a conspiracy theory, to ridicule our universities.
It is ok if our boys and girls don’t make it to the top 200, we are still in the top 300. I have a strong feeling that we will still be in top 400 next year and top 500 the subsequent year. When failed to meet the target, we just have to lower the target so that it is achievable. Now, this is an example of creative problem solving that we learnt in our universities and nobody would dare to say our higher education is substandard. Don’t you agree?
We don’t talk about creating “competitive edge”, we talk about “equal distribution”. In our open-book exams, the students are encouraged to share among themselves the answers perceived correct. This is one way in lending the helping hand to the weaker students to pass the exams so that all students together are able to strive for success. Plagiarism is freely allowed and encouraged among lecturers and researches, to promote the sharing of knowledge.
Let us ignore this ranking result and proceed with what we have been doing the past 50 years, which has been proven a successful model :)
@Kasim Amat:
There is nothing wrong with Uncle Lim pointing this matter out over and over again. This is due to the powers that be that want to sweep this under the carpet and out of the peoples’ eyes. What else is the Opposition bench for?
As President Obama said, “Countries that out-teach us today will out-compete us tomorrow.” Education is key. It’s too bad that ours is still so messed up with no light at the end of the tunnel.
Fall from Top 200 and claim to be proud of Top 500. Who is being stupid here? Ask yourself – how do we end up with such stupid leaders? Should not one strive to get back to Top100?
How can you be so ignorant?
Kassim AMAT “Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue
@Badawi:
There is no need for a Higher Education Minister. This is a side-effect of your jumbo-sized laughing-stock-of-the-world cabinet.
Yeah, I just had to prod on that.
The day the children of our beloved top cabinet ministers are studying in the local Universities will be the day you and I know that the standard of education has been restored. They can talk until the cow comes home but nothing significant will take place for their agenda is to ” manufacture ” graduates by the thousand yearly not base on quality but quantity.
For their own children will be sent overseas and will graduate to come back to eye the many high positions in the GLCs’ that are prepared for them. If you are qualified, please take the role to enrich the GLCs’ for the benefit of the citizens, I begrudge you not. For I don’t have that capability to helm any GLCs’ except my own small enterprise.
As for the local graduates, they can at least be proud to have a local education (whether useful or not, they know too well) makes easy by the ruling regime to appease the local folks that the regime has had uplifts the living standard of the rural folks in statistics. For they want their follower to be kept under control in the same denial mode that they themselves believed not for they talked one thing to followers but do another within their rank and files. How long can they keep on spinning the lies ?
It will just be a matter of time before we are behind our neighbouring countries as far as education is concern BUT be assured that the regime will continues spinning that our education is of high standard, otherwise why other nationals are here to study ? Statements as such are usually utter by patriotic Malaysians who can’t differentiate the rights and wrongs but just base on sheer supremacy concept. God saves this nation !
To improve university rankings,maybe the new Prime Minister will combine Ministry of Higher Education with Ministry of Education.
For those students who study in local universities, do you know you have been played a fool by the BN government? The ranking of the university you are studying at keeps dropping whereby the Ministers have been sending their children to study in the top universities overseas. Doesn’t this annoy you or you are just indifferent?
Dear All,
I read with interest a news report in Malaysiakini that PAC has cleared the government on the purchase of Eurocopter. How long does the PAC took before wrapping up the investigation? Does PAC went to the Ministry of Defence probing for further information and material evidence in the course of its investigation? Or is it the investigation part was conducted by phone calls and verbal confirmation from several officers in the Ministry of Defence?
Perhaps YB Kit Siang is able to bring us up to speed on this matter.
Kasim Amat is a typical UMNOputra who use backside to think and use asshole to speak.
We should give our universities another 5 years to catch up.If they do not we should not call them universities any more.We should call then adult school so that they do not have to compete.Those we pass out are fit to work for the country Malaysia only!
Ask yourself this question: when you take part in a competition do you do so just to participate or to win?
Speak with pride to be top 500? OMG! This joker can really know how to make themselves happy!
I posted this a while back…about PSD scholarship and How Singapore is sucking up our best brain!
http://shiokguy.blogspot.com/2008/06/psd-scholarship.html
While we have Monkey feeling happy about doing badly.. what a joke!
Shiok Guy
http://shiokguy.blogspot.com/
Tender this ministerial post and get the international experts. Three ministers in 4 years? How can each one do the job? Make it a long-term position, and the punishment is one cannot exit or resign from the job if without improvement.
[deleted]
YB Kit is simply dead concerned and rightly so, hence to awaken our rakyat on this plight of affair in the hope that we will improved one day, even your childrens (deleted) will benefit. Simple stuff like that also cannot see or tahan. You should learned to be grateful what YB is doing (deleted). No one is interested to turn this into political mileage unlike other party, its simply a fact. There are unlimited supply of issues in Bolehwood for political purpose.
(deleted)
For too long we have been ruled by the hypocrites.They always tell people like Kassim Amat that our universities are the best and yet they send their own children overseas for education.They always say something and do another.It is high time all these scum be cleaned up for the sake of our future.
I can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to higher education in Malaysia. As long as our education system is based on race, special rights, quota, matricualtion for the master race and all others on the STPM, and the political pressure on UMNO ministers to churn out Malay graduates by the tens of thousands(never mind if they can’t read and write), there will be no hope for our universities.
Luckily for the non-master race, they have an alternative, in that there are private colleges, and KTAR and UTAR.
Anyway, as far as the commercial and Multi-national companies are concerned, our public universities graduates are unemployable.
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.
with Kasim Mamat as our lecturer… he will teach his students that we can always fly to the sun… when 1 student stand up and ask ..”the sun is burning hot, how can we fly directly to it…” ..
Kasim proudly answer, … well.. we will fly at night, as the sun is no longer hot as it’s not shining anymore…
so, with lecturers having the same mindset as kasim, no wonder our Uni is still “world class”..
1. This is the main reason all our elite politician choose to send
their children oversea.
2. If our graduate r so good why choose Oxford boys to be PM advicer-the 4th floor boys gang.
3. If our university r so good then y r so many of them jobless. Cant our graduate migrate oversea and everybody will be snatching them up.
4. If our university r so good then y NUS which use to be part of our University Malaya & nearly similiar in rank r now rank so high whereas MU is even rank more than 200 and even loss the apex u status to usm.
5. During my tenure in MU one of my course mate as the lecturer to clarify certain maths variables, He ask 4 a, b, c the lecturer go and explain f which left the whole lecture hall student in a blank. When we go back to ask our tutor, then only we realised that this lecturer himself does not understand. Whatever he write on the board was passed down by his lecturer. It like he regurgitate out whatever teach to him by his lecturer without even understanding it. How pityfull, but this is the actual facts of life in a goverment university. That’s is the quality of education they 1 2 pass down to the future generation. Learning something by just memorising without really understanding it.
The government equates STPM with matriculation. 90 pct of matriculation students are from one race, while the government was so “generous” in giving the other races a 10 pct “quota”.
Now we have 100,000 unemployed graduates, most of whom are from one race. To quell internal anger, the government hires as many as they can and we have a bloated civil service. Probably the most inefficient civil service in all of Asia. However, the civil service can’t even absorb all the graduates, so many of them become mat rempits and minah rempits. Have you heard of any mat rempit being convicted of attempted murder or disturbing the peace ?
Yes, there is no hope, and I try to encourage all those who can afford to send their children overseas to do so. If you can’t afford to do so, send them to a private twinning programme locally. If you can’t even afford this, then go to TARC or UTAR. Any other local institution of higher education guarantees your children only grief and ridicule.
This country will soon be sending out its female graduates as domestic helpers.
Instead of aiming for the best, we settle for the better. Then when we are better, we don’t mind settling for the good. And when we are good, please don’t say that we do not mind to be bad. Obstacles to achieving the very best get in the way. Like money. Like face. Like power. If students think that they do not need to be serious in their studies because in the end they will pass anyway, they will never learn to be serious in anything including work and any important missions waiting for them. Today youths are tomorrow’s leaders and you can imagine them saying to their youths then that the quality of education is not important at all. What is important is you make money. Lots of money.
It is not that UMNO doesn’t know that this problem is a ticking time bomb. It is that they don’t care as long as the bomb does not go off during their watch. So a succession of UMNO leaders hedge their bets by making sure that their children are educated overseas, and they also make investments overseas if ever the worst case scenario happens and the bomb goes off locally.
Look at Daim’s kids, Kerismuddin’s kids, Rafidah’s kids, Najib’s kids – they are all educated overseas. Look at where the UMNOputras put their foreign investments – London is a favourite destination, followed by Perth, Sydney and Melbourne.
can you give me a clue why my comments are taking ages to moderate? Its time wasting deh.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…..
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.
“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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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!!
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”………..