"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."- John Dewey.
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Friday, August 29, 2008
UM and possibly USM to become Apex Universities?
Looks like UM is likely to get designated to be an Apex university which will allow it to get more funding and autonomy and perhaps USM as well. UKM and UPM will not be happy. My sense is that it probably makes more sense to have 2 universities designated as Apex universities so that there will be some level of competition. But without a radical restructuring of how research and teaching and admissions are conducted and without a qualified and politically independent VC in place, I cannot imagine UM and USM breaking into the ranks of the top 100 universities in the world.
I just started my master study at USM. Hopefully this will be a good news to all of us at USM and students will get benefits from this status if implemented.
ReplyDeleteI am also hoping that there will be more scholarships for us to study PhD oversea and then serve at USM after graduation.
Anyway, lets just wait and see.
Oh, every time when we can't compete with world class standard subsequently a national "world-class" standard will be developed to "soik sendiri" :(
ReplyDeleteFootball SUPER League, Multimedia SUPER Corridor, SMART schools, and now APEX universities which are nowhere in proper rankings and is nothing more than diploma mills producing unemployable graduates which no amount of soft skill training will ever remedy.
ReplyDeleteTell those morons to put in more effort in doing real work, recruit REAL students & lecturers and not just dream up superlatives and grand sounding titles.
If we want to create one apex uni, we must be willing to
ReplyDeletedo what other top-ranked universities in THES are doing.
For instance, though our oldest uni aspire to be 6-star uni, the top management are not willing to spend money on database. Yet the top management (VC level)can fly from here and there in first or business class.
Just compare ourself with
NUS. They have a few databases, including the leading Wharton Research Database.
http://wrds.wharton.upenn.edu/
Go around and check, not even one our uni has the WRDS.
Not wonder NUS is ranked in the top20, and we can't even go into the top100.
Unwilling to spend money on important thing, but lament that we are unable to perform like others.
Do first thing first!
We must set our priority right!!
Recruit deans and vcs based on merit and research acumen not race or cronysm so akin to Dr M's era. Infact, Dr M's 25 years of race based theories has dampened the vigor of the universities to see beyond skin color. In 1979 as education minister he destroyed the English language and in 2004 he brought back English and was declared a hero. Rather ironic especially he was the one that destroyed the creativity and competitiveness of well known unis in the country.
ReplyDeleteGetting into the Top 100 is not an easy task - the competition is intense.
ReplyDeleteThe VC and the entire management team cannot compromise academic excellence. Unfortunately political bias screws this up.
To be the amongst the best, you must have the best to teach and to screen students.
You must have the culture of meritocracy, and start creating one if there isn't one.
With present political culture, I simply cannot see such political will existing.
All that will happen is lip service by our political leaders.
Let's hope this will change when there is a change in leadership.
Even in UM and USM are our apex universities I doubt both will improve in their THES rankings
ReplyDeleteThe Apex selection committee are still the same jokers, the teaching staff are still the same donkies
This typical rebranding carried by UNMO. First they must learn that you cannot make sense out of nonsense. Go to the core of the problem.
NUS is the secretariat for APEX. Even if they let us in on goodwill, our racist jokers will still screw up the show.
ReplyDeleteI am still encouraging all Malaysians to study in NUS if they can. At least Singapore does not look down on us based on race. In fact I have so many Singapore friends, and they still prefer Malaysians over other nationals.
Stay in our own country, no use. Being loyal is one thing, but to be discriminated because you are not certain race, forget it.
What does all malaysian universities that entitled as research university done to their ranking in THES? most of the malaysian "research" university drop in their ranking. Otherwise, the low profile engineering specialized university, UTM raise its ranking in THES "abruptly" and also in its world research databased ranking.
ReplyDeleteNow that USM had been granted apex status, does that mean that the ranking of USM is higher than UM in the country? Is the objective now is to make USM better than UM. So, does it affect the requirement of entering both universities? As we all know the result for entering UM is higher that USM, with now USM being apex university will there be any difference? About reaching top 50 by 2020, I doubt that, our standards of education in public universities are rather depressing. Alot of hardwork need to be done still. GOOD LUCK!
ReplyDeleteI STUDIED IN USM. THEY ARE DAMN RACIST, WITH THOSE LEAKS EXAM QUESTIONS TO THE CERTAIN RACE!!GO AND HAVE A LOOK AT THE HEALTH CAMPUS IN KELANTAN (GOD-KNOWS WHERE) AND THE ENGINEERING CAMPUS. U WILL KNOW THE MEANING OF IMPOSSIBLE FOR USM TO CLIMB UP THE STAIRS UNLESS THEY LET ALL RACES TO COMPETE FAIRLY!! ALMOST 100% STAFF IN USM IS OF SAME RACE. TAKE IN SOME TAT ARE MORE BRILLIANT PLS..USM, WAKE-UP, FACE THE FACT, LET EVERYTHING BASED ON MERITOCRACY ABD FAIRNESS, RAISE THE STANDARD TO HIGHER LEVEL! CAN U IMAGINE TAT THEY HAS 100% PASS FOR THEIR MEDICAL STUDENT LAST YEAR!! HOW CAN...COME ON
ReplyDelete