Gov't Urges Public Varsities To Enhance Performance. How Can They When The Gov't Is The Biggest Hurdle?

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed has reminded public universities nationwide to always strive to improve their performance and enhance excellence regardless of their rankings in the list of the world's best universities. This was in line with the government's commitment to enhance the quality of higher education in the country and achieve the target of turning Malaysia into a hub for education excellence, he said.

"I'm sure the universities are able to play their roles towards achieving the goal," he said in a statement today on the World University Ranking 2006 issued by the Times Higher Education Supplement.

According to the new ranking, Universiti Malaya (UM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) are among the world's 200 best universities. UKM was ranked 185th compared to 289th last year while UM dropped to the 192nd spot from 169th previously. Two other public universities -- Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) -- also showed improvement in their rankings. USM rose about 50 notches from 326th to 277th while UPM climbed over 100 notches from 394th to 292nd.

"Overall, it shows the rising positions of Malaysian universities. With the commitment shown by the vice-chancellors, I'm sure our universities are in a good position to boost the development of human capital in Malaysia," Mustapa said.

He also said that UM had been asked to prepare a follow-up action plan after obtaining the ranking details.

**** It's all very well for the Minister of Higher Education to go through the motions and spout the same old mantra of striving for excellence, blah, blah, blah. That statement is for his own personal benefit, for now at least he has gone on record to show concern and that always makes good copy. Bully for him. However has he ever given a fleeting thought to the real cause for the down in the dumps performance of our varsities? After pumping in billions of ringgit what do our universities do? They rank among the also-rans.

The primary reason for this depressing state of affairs is the government and its skewed vision and policies. There is no point in chasing ghosts or looking for scapegoats when the problem is right there in front for all to see. How can any reasonable government expect a competitor to do well when he is part-cripple, lacks motivation and was never meant to be in the contest from the start? The competitor should have been entered in the handicapped category. The government should at least know that, for it is the one that made him handicapped in the first place.

As long as the government persists in practising discrimination in the name of a never ending policy called the NEP they can forget words like excellence, first-rate and superior and be satisfied with terms such as mediocre, below-average and poor. As much as it pains me to say it, but that unfortunately is the sad truth. Reform has to come before any significant improvement in performance can be expected.

However as is stands no reform will be forthcoming from the mindsets that dominate this government. Only the infusion of a quality-respecting and forward-thinking group of younger Malays into the ruling party of any future government can do that. This present set of 'leaders' are a total loss and history will judge them as such.

So folks don't expect any miracles to happen overnight, and don't be surprised if next year our ranking disappears from the top 500. Only when the politics of the present era no longer exists or is declared as irrelevant, can we truly realise our potential as a world-class nation. Until then mediocrity will continue to reign supreme and people like Mustapa will continue to be Higher Education Minister.

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