tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post112790568379773757..comments2024-03-21T20:10:28.943+08:00Comments on EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA: Attracting Top Universities to Malaysia (I)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1129178934534857892005-10-13T12:48:00.000+08:002005-10-13T12:48:00.000+08:00Ireland and Finland is very successful, so much so...Ireland and Finland is very successful, so much so that the Singaporean government has been studying them in their "remaking singapore" initiative a couple years back.<BR/><BR/>-- Old ManAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1129160034890659642005-10-13T07:33:00.000+08:002005-10-13T07:33:00.000+08:00Hi Tony,thanks for your reponse. I understand your...Hi Tony,<BR/>thanks for your reponse. I understand your argument about the rankings. I just think it is sometimes useful to look at other countries as well. I think Malaysia could learn a lot from Ireland for instance, or other countries that are focusing very much on innovation and knowledge in their policies and that have gone through major reforms. I am leaving for the Netherlands (which also falls into this category) in a few hours and will be talking to several people there about similar issues. I'll have some posts about that in my blog later. <BR/><BR/>Countries like Ireland or Finland are very succesful in many ways and in terms of magnitude and population size are more like Malaysia (although of course I understand there are many many other differences). I'm looking forward to your new postings on this issue.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03853493220838355327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1129135473419143402005-10-13T00:44:00.000+08:002005-10-13T00:44:00.000+08:00Hi Tony,First off, I read your response to Eric an...Hi Tony,<BR/>First off, I read your response to Eric and I think you haven't addressed his second question. What do you expect from these foreign universities?<BR/>Following on the two alternative strategies you suggested, I would also ask: What exactly is the function of the Ministry of Higher Education?<BR/>Is its purpose to promote higher education as an industry to generate forex? Or is its purpose to improve the quality of higher education for the locals?<BR/>Suggesting commercial motives behind the Minister's actions was nifty thinking on your part. But I think you were just being diplomatic with the powers that be. I'm impressed.<BR/>After all, your focus is the quality of education in Malaysia. For the people. Isn't it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1129129156146082772005-10-12T22:59:00.000+08:002005-10-12T22:59:00.000+08:00Eric,I wrote in passing related to the 2nd part of...Eric,<BR/><BR/>I wrote in passing related to the 2nd part of your issue-question some time ago:<BR/><BR/>http://educationmalaysia.blogspot.com/2005/05/world-class-universities.html<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>-- Old ManAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1129121746547913302005-10-12T20:55:00.000+08:002005-10-12T20:55:00.000+08:00Hi Eric,Thanks for popping by. Visit your blog as...Hi Eric,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for popping by. Visit your blog as well, I'm quite impressed, although I'm floored by the depth of semi-theoretical education issues I have delved into since uni days! :)<BR/><BR/>With regards to your concern that I'm placing too much importance on rankings - I must admit that I do use the rankings table a fair bit, for a simple reason that it provides the best <I>indication</I> of the quality of the university. Rankings table, as I've mentioned in previous posts, are never going to be accurate. But there are usually "more or less" there i.e., there's going to be a vast difference between an institution ranked top 50, versus one which is ranked in the 200s. That will be the extent to which I rely on the rankings table.<BR/><BR/>With regards to the second issue you raised, I'm in complete agreement, except I thought it wasn't so much relevant to my post. It's one thing setting up a branch campus in Malaysia, but its another getting the same quality of education. But dwelling on the issue in the same post will probably mean I would get to sleep last night trying to complete the post!<BR/><BR/>:) Tony PGolf Afflictedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16363347839543221577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1129106725357251502005-10-12T16:45:00.000+08:002005-10-12T16:45:00.000+08:00speaking about curtin malaysia, i would say tat it...speaking about curtin malaysia, i would say tat it isnt still a good or top notch for malaysia..it is more likely a low average uni compared itself with murdoch or UWA..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1129092231338075102005-10-12T12:43:00.000+08:002005-10-12T12:43:00.000+08:00While purportedly, Singapore and Malaysia is seemi...While purportedly, Singapore and Malaysia is seemingly trying to do the same thing in being an education hub, the truth is the understanding to road to success is vastly different. <BR/><BR/>Singapore government decision to attract top schools to Singapore is mitigated my an understanding that it may just be a commerical success at best and can be worst. There is a strong realization that there is no replacement for improving their own schools and hence opening it up to competition at every level and providing the necessary environment for improvement such as funding for research and foreign faculty and attracting top students.<BR/><BR/>Malaysia idea of making an education hub is they see it as opportunistic. Opportunity to make some money, opportunity to take credit for work someone else do or really easy things that can be spinned into something bigger. Its part and parcel of the entitlement mindset.<BR/><BR/>There is no realization that these things are just tools for doing something really really hard. That in the end, they have to face the demon within and without. That every compromise ia a compounding to mediocrity and failure. <BR/><BR/>There is real dishonesty in the whole effort as in the NEP and racial equality in this country. Except for a few idealist, most do not really believe it will achieve its goals. The real aim of all stakeholders is to get the short term gain of jobs, money and credit/glory and worry about the real long term aim when it comes home to roost.<BR/><BR/>The problem is that its transparent to everyone outside the system. The dishonesty and the lack of consequence for failure deters anyone who has something great from committing to this idea. Its no wonder that no top schools want to come. Its no wonder lower-ranking schools with low-commitment to standards show up. Look at ourselves in the mirror and the answer is clear.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1129079396324318352005-10-12T09:09:00.000+08:002005-10-12T09:09:00.000+08:00A comparison with our cousin down south will show ...A comparison with our cousin down south will show a vast difference in attracting top-notch schools. S'pore goes after post-grad students (i.e Insead, Chicago, JHopkins, Cornell etc.) due to land constraint and to put more concentration on research based schools (which is where the prestige lies).<BR/><BR/>We tend to go for masses and undergrads as we have land and large population. We have apart from the two mentioned schools,Curtin-Sarawak and smaller campus of other lower-tier schools in various forms of tie-ups. <BR/><BR/>For undergrad in S'pore don't forget NUS which is by itself a top-notch teaching school as well.<BR/><BR/>There is a large gap btw us and our cousin down south and I don't expect the gap to narrow. <BR/><BR/>Our masses tend to be misguided by what is "world-standard" as used by our politicians/ civil servants.clkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08700265260371403083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1129078581755627322005-10-12T08:56:00.000+08:002005-10-12T08:56:00.000+08:00Tony, I admire your commitment to Malaysian higher...Tony, I admire your commitment to Malaysian higher education. I do however have two comments on your post. First of all, I think you attach to much value to the rankings. Ireland for instance has done a superb job the last decade to go from Europe's most troubled economy to its most prosperous economy and the universities have played an important role in that. There are more good universities in the world than Harvard, Stanford, Oxford and Cambridge. My second comment is more like a question. What do you expect from these foreign universities? I have gone through some of them and I am 100% sure that their staff is far less qualified than the staff in their home institution. What do you expect is the value of for instance Nottingham University over UM or USM when Nottingham uses mostly local staff, mostly without PhD degrees and often without Masters degrees. Is it the management of the universities that you expect to be better? Or is it that a 'global brand' will give students more opportunities on the job market? I would be interested to hear your views.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03853493220838355327noreply@blogger.com