Varsities will 'rise', slowly but surely
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin |
Q: How do you plan to improve the standards of public universities which have dropped in recent years?
We are currently taking several steps through the National Higher Education Strategic Plan 2007-2010 to improve the ranking of our public universities.
They include increasing the number of publications published by the universities, increasing international collaboration, enhancing research and development and improving the student-lecturer ratio.
Improving public university rankings is not something that we can do overnight.
A: It is different with Singapore. Education there is for those who can afford it and because of that they can attract the best students in the world.
The small population there means they can take in more foreign students.
In Malaysia, the scenario is different. We use public universities to provide education to as many (Malaysian) students (from different economic backgrounds).
Q: What would be some of the challenges that you may face in implementing the National Higher Education Strategic Plan 2007-2010?
A: The challenge is for the plan to be accepted widely by all 22 public universities.
The ministry is also going to issue its first report card in the next few months on how the public universities have fared.
The report card will show how far they have achieved their targets and where they actually stand in terms of standards.
Q: Will the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 be superseded by a new law?
A: No. But the act will be amended. I plan to table the amendments in parliament by the end of this year.
We need to review the act in order to make the national strategic plan work.
Any provisions in the act that are seen to be stumbling blocks to the plan will be changed.
Q: Will universities be given more autonomy and will students be allowed to be active in politics?
A: We are in the process of providing more autonomy to universities but, with that, universities will also have to be more accountable.
Even allowing students to be involved in politics is being looked into.
It all depends on whether it helps a student to perform better academically.
I can assure you that all sections of the act are being looked into and (amendments will be done to) suit the times.
Q: The government has said that it hopes to make Malaysia a regional educational hub. What is the latest on this?
A: Efforts to attract foreign universities to set up branch campuses in Malaysia are continuing.
At present, there are four foreign university branch campuses.
The Al-Azhar University of Cairo has also shown interest in setting up a branch campus, but has yet to approach us formally.
We are also planning to have more tie-ups between our public universities and prestigious foreign universities.
Q: What about the proposed link with Cambridge University?
A: We have to take that proposal back to the Cabinet.
Cambridge wants an exclusive tie-up with us on R&D, but we want to be able to collaborate with other universities as well
We are currently taking several steps through the National Higher Education Strategic Plan 2007-2010 to improve the ranking of our public universities.
They include increasing the number of publications published by the universities, increasing international collaboration, enhancing research and development and improving the student-lecturer ratio.
Improving public university rankings is not something that we can do overnight.
A: It is different with Singapore. Education there is for those who can afford it and because of that they can attract the best students in the world.
The small population there means they can take in more foreign students.
In Malaysia, the scenario is different. We use public universities to provide education to as many (Malaysian) students (from different economic backgrounds).
Q: What would be some of the challenges that you may face in implementing the National Higher Education Strategic Plan 2007-2010?
A: The challenge is for the plan to be accepted widely by all 22 public universities.
The ministry is also going to issue its first report card in the next few months on how the public universities have fared.
The report card will show how far they have achieved their targets and where they actually stand in terms of standards.
Q: Will the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 be superseded by a new law?
A: No. But the act will be amended. I plan to table the amendments in parliament by the end of this year.
We need to review the act in order to make the national strategic plan work.
Any provisions in the act that are seen to be stumbling blocks to the plan will be changed.
Q: Will universities be given more autonomy and will students be allowed to be active in politics?
A: We are in the process of providing more autonomy to universities but, with that, universities will also have to be more accountable.
Even allowing students to be involved in politics is being looked into.
It all depends on whether it helps a student to perform better academically.
I can assure you that all sections of the act are being looked into and (amendments will be done to) suit the times.
Q: The government has said that it hopes to make Malaysia a regional educational hub. What is the latest on this?
A: Efforts to attract foreign universities to set up branch campuses in Malaysia are continuing.
At present, there are four foreign university branch campuses.
The Al-Azhar University of Cairo has also shown interest in setting up a branch campus, but has yet to approach us formally.
We are also planning to have more tie-ups between our public universities and prestigious foreign universities.
Q: What about the proposed link with Cambridge University?
A: We have to take that proposal back to the Cabinet.
Cambridge wants an exclusive tie-up with us on R&D, but we want to be able to collaborate with other universities as well.
COMMENT: If an organisation, in our case, the University, chooses to dominate its markets, it must also choose to make the best use of the best people. This means that we must plan to attract , retain and make the best possible use of the best people available. Frederick Herzberg once said that we need to differentiate betwen how we treat people and how we use them. Interestingly enough, it is how we use their skills and initiatives that motivates them. So,
*How do we recognize the best people?
*How do we attract them into our university
*How do we select them?
*How do we use their capabilities?
*How do we retain them?
We must have a set of criteria in our selection of the best people to be in the "University team or bus". The "bus driver", "the conductor" , "the mechanics" and all the rest must be a WHOLISTIC PERSON. He or she must possess all the excellent qualities in the domain of SPIES (Spiritual, Physical. Intellectual, Emotional, Social). It is no good at all to have someone with a long string of degrees and fellowships after his or her name but the spiritual components or matrix has a score of much to be desired. Equally, it is useless to have someone with a score of 9 out of ten for spiritual parameter but lousy in the intellectual aspect. No one area of "Balanced ScoreCard" can be compromised and no deficiency in one of key performance area of personality can be compensated by another. I supposed attitude, creativity, innovativeness, originality, commitment and knowledge would be categorised under intellectual ( strictly should be under cognitive-behavioural) domain. Those need to be addressed too. So much for now. Let us practise what we know. Let us practise what we preach. Let us acknowledge what is excellent or otherwise. Last but not least, let us learn and let's don't stop learning.
Salam Dr,
saya suka sekali komen Dr dan pendapat yg Dr utarakan.. universiti di malaysia ini masih di tahap lama, takut untuk berubah untuk kepentingan negara dan anak didik.yang lebih diutamakan ialah untuk menjaga periuk nasi masing2 tanpa berani mengutarakan perubahan kearah kebaikan..
saya yakin Dr boleh melakukan banyak perubahan di negeri selangor khususnya di istitut2 di negeri ini
Dr,
Saya rasa masa di Kejohanan Sukan SRAI JAIS Dr sebut SPICE
S-spiritual
P-Physical
I-intellectual
C-Cpmmunication
E-Emotion
apa2 pun, dua2 pun boleh kan? ;-)
We have your pic taken on that day here:
http://album.nuraina.com/main.php?g2_itemId=19805
thank you.
Keep up the good work. Semoga kerajaan BR boleh kekal sebagaimana kerajaan PAS di Kelantan (saya asal Kelantan ;-) )
Thank You once again for your comments. It was SPIES. Anyway both sounded similar. If you had changed "C"to stand for "communication" and "E" for "expectation", you get another important concept in life, namely one has to manage one's coomunication and expectation with significant others like husband ,wife , children, in-laws etc. Thank you.