Now that the elections are over, I can hopefully go back to blogging regularly here on education issues. Thanks for to marquisdulazares for highlighting this post from Susan Loone, a former Malaysiakini journalist who is currently based in Bangkok. Apparently, the new MB in Perlis has a PhD from New Port university, something which Tony has blogged about in the past!
I think this Malaysian version of the New Port university is just an offshoot of the equally dubious New Port university that is based in California. My wife informed me that the address of the California based New Port university is near an airport and only occupies one suite of a commercial building!
Check out former MPs Aziz Shamsuddin and M Kayveas here. Both of them received degrees from this university. And if I'm not mistaken, Kayveas also received a degree from the infamous Irish International University! Thankfully, both of them lost in the recent elections so hopefully, it's the last we'll see of them!
14 comments:
There's tussle between PM choice of Perlis MB and the new Perlis MB anointed by the Perlis King. Let's see what's ahead of us in the next few weeks.
maybe shahidan should make this an issue. All MBs should have genuine or non bogus degrees
This is sad. It's bad enough that our state leaders do not even have proper academic qualifications, now they are lying about them. It says a lot about the leaders that we have nowadays, I better hope this will change in the future. A leader is someone we all look up to because of his/her wisdom character and abilities. Anyone see the problem here?
well...shahidan got his PhD fr UUM.(btw--i wonder why he never put his PhD title..humble gesture??) RUMOURS said that his supervisor is famous for plagiarism..
i notice that the writers of this blog like to take a jab at others on the basis of dubious academic qualifications
KM and Tony, you guys are no doubt extremely talented individuals who have been exposed to some of the best opportunities available....its little wonder that you probably have no idea how hard it is for ordinary folks to get some decent qualifications in the midst of competing priorites...i think we can give them a bit of leeway here for not having the opportunities/talent to pursue a quality education and ended up being caught in this frenzied paper-chase
To the previous comment entry writer,
What is the use of a degree if one can cheat his way through to get it? A degree is a proof of academic ability, no two ways about that. If you do not work hard and attain the standard academia demands, you are out.
These standards are there for a reason; to produce capable people in the job market! If less-than-capable people come out with dubious degrees, they are only lying to employers and the people about their actual capacity to perform at work. Note that capable people without degrees are totally different, in that they did not resort to lying.
Your comment only reflects the "short cut" mentality many Malaysians seem to have.
Best,
marquisdulazares
To Anon of 12:30am 3/18/2008:
Your comment is shocking. It is because of people like you that Malaysia degenerates into the wilderness. You can have all the riches or power in the world yet no one will respect you if you lie to get your worldly possessions.
It is thank goodness to people like KM and TP (and I am no fan of DAP either) that people like you don't get to insult others who truly work hard to achieve their dreams and respect of others.
shame.
~
Yes! Tony, pls don't neglect the Edu Sys in Msia. My son is in Std 1. His PJK book says to bathe 3 times a day and his Moral Book says 2! How-la to explain to a six-going-on-seven year old boy about things like that!
I admire the writers' of this blog for being proponents of a better education system in malaysia...I am also of the view that bogus/dubious qualifications should be done away with
there are many admirable people in the world who work hard and live an honest life w/o qualifications, they are and should be our role models....but for those who chose the "short cut" are they so deserving of contempt? many times such people face disproportionate amounts of social pressure and stress simply because they did not have the opportunity or maturity in their youth to pursue a quality education....its easier said than done to make up for it in adulthood
these people are no doubt doing the wrong thing, but we can do more apart from satirising them - doing our part to remove this obsession with academic qualifications so reeking of elitism could well do the part
all I'm saying is that we should show some sensitivity
"writer of the previous comment"
To the "write of the previous comment"
If the degree is a PhD, yes they deserve whatever contempt we show them. Because unlike those who pay for a BSc/BEng/BA, who mostly are doing it so they can put food on their table in a highly competitive job market (although it is very wrong of them), those who buy PhDs are doing it for STATUS. Because PhD gains you a Dr title, which they use for political and social mileage.
The degrees are there for people who are willing to work hard for that. For people to want to buy a Bachelors, something is very wrong with the education system, which has perhaps denied them the opportunity to further their studies. But for people to buy a PhD, something is indeed very wrong with themselves!
Ms tzarina, there is no differences between cheating a PhD or Degree. The genuine holders are simply deprieved of their deserving competitiveness. It's not fair if a genuine qualified person is judged together with a cheat. No matter what was the reason, cheating is total injustice to the genuine holders and should be exposed and reprimanded!
SHOCKING!
Anon of 12:30am 3/18/2008:
No, you're barking at the wrong side. These people are too lucky because they don't need great brains to get a degree. The most important thing is, the BN government recognises the university.
The university is not accredited by the JPA. you can check the qualification accreditation at:
http://www.interactive.jpa.gov.my/webinteraktif/frmMainIktiraf.asp
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