tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post6402731794375512692..comments2024-03-21T20:10:28.943+08:00Comments on EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA: Walk-In Interviews for PhD HoldersUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger153125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-50840034208554664192007-06-14T19:03:00.000+08:002007-06-14T19:03:00.000+08:00Varsities identify 599 academicsBy KAREN CHAPMANPU...Varsities identify 599 academics<BR/><BR/>By KAREN CHAPMAN<BR/><BR/>PUTRAJAYA: Public universities identified 599 for academic staff positions over a three-day recruitment fair organised by the Higher Education Ministry at KL Sentral last month. <BR/><BR/>Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said of this number, 125 had been appointed immediately. <BR/><BR/>“A majority of these people have working experience in the public and private sectors and some have even worked overseas,” he said after chairing his ministry's post-Cabinet meeting yesterday. <BR/><BR/>The 125 had been offered positions in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia. <BR/><BR/>Mustapa said the universities also offered scholarships to 255 to do their PhDs and 219, their masters. <BR/><BR/>Of the total, there are 389 bumiputras, 203 non-bumiputras and seven foreigners. <BR/><BR/>On another matter, Mustapa said the Cabinet had approved the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) Bill in principle at its meeting yesterday. <BR/><BR/>“There are some minor changes but I hope to table it for the first reading at the coming Parliament session beginning next week,” he said. <BR/><BR/>The long-awaited Bill will see the merger of the National Accreditation Board and the ministry’s Quality Assurance Division, which will lead to the establishment of the MQA. <BR/><BR/>On another matter, Mustapa said the ministry had set up an overseas promotions council – to attract more international students to Malaysia – which would hold its first meeting early next month. <BR/><BR/>He said, there were now 52,000 international students in public and private universities and the number was expected to rise to 66,000 by next year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-57605089951754899472007-06-10T14:40:00.000+08:002007-06-10T14:40:00.000+08:00"So who is to blame? Your own political representa..."So who is to blame? Your own political representatives are keeping quiet or oblivious..."<BR/><BR/>yes they are. and we keep voting them in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-26064353346059056242007-06-10T12:21:00.000+08:002007-06-10T12:21:00.000+08:00TO ANON ABOVE:This proves beyond doubt that the Ma...TO ANON ABOVE:<BR/><BR/>This proves beyond doubt that the Malays are brilliant and manipulative. They are politically very mature and experienced despite what the Non Malays say. If they are not clever or manipulative they wont be in the position as they are today..<BR/><BR/>All throughout the issues discussed with racial slurs, I have observed that the Non Malay component parties of the ruling coalition seemed to be keeping quiet and not taking the stand to protect the interests of the non Malays.<BR/><BR/>So who is to blame? Your own political representatives are keeping quiet or oblivious...<BR/><BR/>WISHING ALL MALAYSIANS.... HAPPY 50th MERDEKA!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-35538244493845007782007-06-09T19:08:00.000+08:002007-06-09T19:08:00.000+08:00regarding the IPTA scolarships schemes, someone po...regarding the IPTA scolarships schemes, someone pointed out much earlier that we now have SLAB for bumi and SLAI for bumi and non-bumi. this means bumi now have double the opportunities. i have seen one list of SLAI recipients and 4/5 are malay. if this is typical of the entire scheme, u can imagine how non-malay are getting increasingly discriminated while on the surface it gives the idea that opportunities are becoming more equal. on top of that, SLAB will also sponsor for masters level, which SLAI will not. so non-bumi will have to work their own way up before they even have a shot at the tiny chance.<BR/>if we think our IPTA are inferior, we should first realize there has never been a sincere attempt to put academic excellence as the priority. but you can't blame the IPTA. these things are controlled by MOHE which is controlled by the malaysian government.<BR/>welcome to malaysia, everyone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-83111392494408953642007-06-08T23:46:00.000+08:002007-06-08T23:46:00.000+08:00Just had a thought, which is that as long as our b...Just had a thought, which is that as long as our best students are going into 'the professions' - medicine, law etc. - we may not get very far in trying to get better academics. Perhaps something can be done in the schools though I'm not sure what.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-73296772132298856192007-06-08T20:42:00.000+08:002007-06-08T20:42:00.000+08:00That's about right. For the public university sala...That's about right. For the public university salary, you can refer to a posting by Amir which provided a link to the salary page.<BR/><BR/>As for private university, 5k-10k for senior lecturer is about right. A fresh grad with PhD at the lecturer position will normally start at around 4k.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-59502887170145905302007-06-08T15:29:00.000+08:002007-06-08T15:29:00.000+08:00"Anonymous said... Can anyone give me an idea of t..."Anonymous said... <BR/>Can anyone give me an idea of the salary ranges for lecturers/professors in the Public Universities and the Private Universities in Malaysia."<BR/><BR/>In the Private Uni College that I am working at in Nilai, a Phd's salary starts with 5k.<BR/><BR/>I know a senior lecturer at Monash Uni Malaysia who is getting 7k.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-34816878802409530862007-06-07T23:30:00.000+08:002007-06-07T23:30:00.000+08:00I wish to point out that the Orang Asli, not the m...I wish to point out that the Orang Asli, not the malays, are the original inhabitants of Malaysia. Most of the malay Malaysians came from Sumatra and other parts of Indonesia. They only migrated here much earlier than the Chinese and Indian Malaysians. It does not mean they deserve privileges or rights just because they were the pioneer immigrants.<BR/><BR/>It is true that there have been abuses under the name of malay special rights and it is the duty of the malays in particular, and all Malaysians in general, to stop it so that the rightful malays get their rights, and the non-malays get their rights as citizens of this country.<BR/><BR/>It is a sad thing to say, but I do believe the main thing that is holding back malays is not the Chinese or the Indians, but the malays themselves. That is why Badawi and Mahathir have been quoted as telling to throw away crutches and work hard to face the challenges of globalisation.<BR/><BR/>The malay and others of the same mind should learn to stand on their own feet rather than claim for special privileges and rights. The world is becoming globalised and if they don't change their attitude, they will only become beggars in their own country.<BR/><BR/>As for the malays who insist on hiding behind the veil of malay special rights - you have lost the respect of non-malays a long time ago.<BR/><BR/>We also suspect that the current situation will, unfortunately, get worse if no action is taken now. Why? Because our kids in school hardly mix with each other. They will grow up with little understanding of their fellow Malaysians, and with the suspicions that exist, it will be worse. <BR/><BR/>The truth of the matter is that polarisation in Malaysia is caused by the discriminatory practises of the government - especially after the NEP - rather than vernacular education.<BR/><BR/>The NEP is upheld for the rich and not the poor in Malaysia.<BR/><BR/>Whether we admit it or not, the problem is that the special privileges and rights given have now resulted in only a selected few malays getting richer and richer. The bulk of the malays, especially in the rural areas are not benefiting from the system. <BR/><BR/>Poor people are poor people, rich people are rich people - no matter which race they come from.<BR/><BR/>The poor in Malaysia must be served but I am sure all taxpayers feel that this should be done in a manner which is blind to age, ethnicity, gender and religion.<BR/><BR/>What is wrong with extending help to all deserving citizens based on merits and needs regardless of race?<BR/><BR/>The Malaysia problem is that rich do become richer. And because of the political system, the players are the same.<BR/><BR/>Out of control - this is all I can say about any type of enforcement and the level of corruption in Malaysia. No idea what Badawi has done in his four years in office but judging from the ground, I guess nothing much.<BR/><BR/>If you have ever heard of the simple saying, "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach him how to fish and he eats for a lifetime." you will realise that many non-malays have learned how to fish but the government is still handing out fishes to the malays. One day the fish will run out.<BR/><BR/>If you want to say discrimination is here in the US, yes, of course it is. Can you name a country where it doesn't happen? But let me tell you one thing - if you go looking for it, you will find it. But in Malaysia, you don't have to go look for it because it seeks you out, slaps you in your face every which way you turn, and is sanctioned by law!<BR/><BR/>Official figures have more than one million Chinese Malaysians emigrating over the past 25 years. Why did they emigrate? I am sure the government knows.<BR/><BR/>For most professionals, living abroad has its own ups and downs. But you get dignity, fair treatment and respect for your ability. You get a voice too. And ears to hear you. <BR/><BR/>Brain drain by the tank-loads is what we get. Every single year, Malaysia loses people who could potentially contribute to the country immensely.<BR/><BR/>So malay, you may keep your rights and perpetuate them. Such things are archaic. Who loses in the end? Your country, which should have been a first world one by today.<BR/><BR/>I sympathize with those that have benefited from the NEP, but the bad news is that the price he pays for his progress is much higher than what he pays for his benefit.<BR/><BR/>These special privileges and rights were once a necessity for them to move forward. Today, after many decades, they find themselves still standing in the same place.<BR/><BR/>It is a shame that our history has been constantly twisted so that our younger generation has no understanding of Malaysia's foundation and its true aspiration. <BR/><BR/>It is arguable that if not for the contributions of the Chinese and Indian Malaysians who helped in the development of this country tremendously, Malaysia would probably be in same category like Indonesia or the Philippines, if not worst.<BR/><BR/>To improve the malays lot, more have to be made to work in private companies where competition is real and what count is your ability. If special rights only help malays to become government servants, then all the more reason not to invoke special rights.<BR/><BR/>But of course, the present ruling elite drunken with wealth, will continue to fight this dream to ensure that Malaysia is kept divided so that BN can continue to rule.<BR/><BR/>Alternatively, Malaysians may begin to realise the dream of a new Malaysia.<BR/><BR/>The bitter truth is that the majority of this nation don't see the need to change things yet and until then, we can do little about it.<BR/><BR/>The bottom line with present day globalisation is this: compete on a level-playing field or you will lose. Plain and simple.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-4705323850068255302007-06-07T17:55:00.000+08:002007-06-07T17:55:00.000+08:00sorry I meant ff's lecturer rather than anon's lec...sorry I meant ff's lecturer rather than anon's lecturer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-2204882086813920652007-06-07T17:51:00.000+08:002007-06-07T17:51:00.000+08:00"Working alongside lecturers in the UK made me rea..."Working alongside lecturers in the UK made me realised that most of their funding come from the private sector and not from the government."<BR/><BR/>The above statement is not a norm in UK. Maybe it is true with the anon's lecturers! But I find it surprising though. Most of research funding in UK universities come from research council UK (i.e. AHRC, BBSRC, EPSRC, etc.) and European Commission. They are all government funded bodies.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-78187755281927206082007-06-07T12:17:00.000+08:002007-06-07T12:17:00.000+08:00"Working alongside lecturers in the UK made me rea..."Working alongside lecturers in the UK made me realised that most of their funding come from the private sector and not from the government."<BR/>In the US, that is not normal. Usually private funding is small and most are supported by govt.<BR/>It is not that easy to sell your research to the private sector even in US. The private sector does have its own R&D staff but there are programs where companies and universities can collaborate to get govt funding. But to ask a private company to pay from its own money, that is tough to find and the dollar amount would be small compared to what you can get from the govt.<BR/>But if you really have an idea, set up a company yourself and compete for govt funding. Normally profs would not do that because they are too old to take risks but graduate students can do it. When you are young PhD, you can afford to risk a few years of your life. There is a company in North Carolina started by former graduate students. They took the knowledge they learned in the lab and with govt support, the company is a multimillion corporation. Those former students are now multimillionaires. As for the prof, he can only watch his students getting rich.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-4507680318227832812007-06-07T10:45:00.000+08:002007-06-07T10:45:00.000+08:00It's true that the IPTA do have a scholarship sche...It's true that the IPTA do have a scholarship scheme to sponsor student to do their PhD overseas. The drawback, as pointed out, is that for a year of sponsorship, you'll be bonded for a 2 years service immediately after you graduate. Probably that's why most of the junior lecturer in IPTA are fresh PhD graduate with limited independent research experience.<BR/><BR/>To be honest, it could be good or bad depending on individual. If someone just needs a stable job just for "cukup makan" then it's a good idea as you'll be guaranteed a job offer after graduating. However, for someone who is more ambitious and wanted to take on the world, it's definitely a no-no, as it will limit your potential.<BR/><BR/>It is always good to have option in your career. But if the scholarship is the only resource for someone's dream to pursue a PhD, then it's not a bad idea. After all, you can always break the contract and pay the penalties. If you're good enough and earn big bucks in overseas, that's not really a big problem.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-58261993933047031612007-06-07T09:06:00.000+08:002007-06-07T09:06:00.000+08:00To the anon who mentioned an IPTA "..have sent som...To the anon who mentioned an IPTA "..have sent some students ..to do Phd overseas and when they return, they'll be bonded for around 8 years by the faculty."<BR/>That is a bad deal if the IPTA cannot provide research facilities. I think that the 10-year period after your PhD is the time when you "make or break". If you do not have significant journal papers count after that period, you are trapped in that place. Where else can you go other than staying and accept whatever treatment they give you? You can forget about finding a faculty job overseas because you would not be competitive. It is OK if you are happy with just teaching because a govt job is an iron-bowl of rice..not breakable.<BR/>"On the subject of Phd students publishing 10 top quality journal papers, I'm sure it's possible but I doubt if it's the norm. Anything from 3-5 is probably normal".. I agree 10 is possible and that 3-5 is normal. That is why it is tough nowadays to find permanent jobs in the US with 3-5 papers because there are better people than you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-29877053622251020372007-06-07T08:34:00.000+08:002007-06-07T08:34:00.000+08:00To the anon who claimed NZ universities underfunde...To the anon who claimed NZ universities underfunded.<BR/>Let's say you are correct and let's see the results. <BR/>University of Auckland is top 50 in the Times world ranking.<BR/>Most, if not all, of its full profs have >100 publications.<BR/>They hired profs for titled chairs from overseas.<BR/>How do they manage to do so much for so little, if they are underfunded?<BR/><BR/>I don't think our top 3 research universities are underfunded. <BR/>It would be great if it is underfunded because imagine wasting millions of RM.<BR/>At one time, UM was talking about RM500 millions collaborations with Cambridge. What happened to that anyway?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-19997557434232792232007-06-07T08:19:00.000+08:002007-06-07T08:19:00.000+08:00Just got side-tracked for few days by proposal wri...Just got side-tracked for few days by proposal writings..so I have few comments to make.<BR/><BR/>To those anons who claimed patents are easy to get and patent examiners are clueless, I have the data for papers and patents filed by National University of Singapore faculty below.<BR/><BR/>For the year 2003: <BR/>Patents filed = 119<BR/>Patents awarded = 28<BR/><BR/>Now, we consider the publications in the previous year (2002) because patent is usually filed after paper:<BR/>Articles in refereed journals = 2,707<BR/>Conference papers = 2,122<BR/><BR/>These are just rough comparisons (I agree it is not apple and apple comparison) but you immediately get the idea that patent is not easy to get. <BR/>Now, who said patent is easy to get?<BR/><BR/>Also, someone said patent examiners are not experts. Granted they not be experts in particular areas, but they have extensive resources to make searches and comparisons scientifically.<BR/>Patent examiners are very thorough in their work. Much more so than journal manuscript reviewers. I have one patent that took 4 years to get because the examiner kept coming back to the lawyer for more information and clarification. A colleague of mine has his application rejected because he was not aware of published results in a little-known Japanese paper that the patent examiner was able to dig out. <BR/>A patent application is a legal document so every wording and sentence count. The problem is that people cheat and make fraudulent claims. Even if a patent passed the examiner and is awarded, outsiders can challenge the patent. Take the case of a drug company that kept saying "surprising discovery" in their patent documents. We would normally think those were innocuous words. Those two words caused the patent to be declared void in court. The loss of the patent cost the company billions of sales revenue forcing it to lay off hundreds of its staff. Try telling those laid off people that patent is not important.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-20590209962902778202007-06-06T18:18:00.000+08:002007-06-06T18:18:00.000+08:00A professor once said - a professorship or a docto...A professor once said - a professorship or a doctorate may not reflect a person's knowledge. One may have his avenues to achieve a "documented" status yet having less knowledge than others. One may have strive hard to obtain a documented status, while not receiving any but has the abundance of knowledge. In the real world, we talk so much about qualification. It's very relative.<BR/><BR/>Although I disagree with the idea of having a walk-in interview for university academic recruitment, I felt glad that our government is keen to TRY. This, in fact is a good sign of change and change is always not about what we think is right or wrong, but what the "decision maker" thinks that's the best way. If we want to see more changes that we could agree with, we ought to shout out our thoughts and not condemning. Mind you the puffer fish effect (natural human self-defence mechanism).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1150503647348624232007-06-06T17:51:00.000+08:002007-06-06T17:51:00.000+08:00Working alongside lecturers in the UK made me re...Working alongside lecturers in the UK made me realised that most of their funding come from the private sector and not from the government. In fact, there's always an ongoing search for possible funding instead of waiting for people to offer. It all depends on the marketing value of each research and also the profile of researcher(s). Meanwhile, looking at the resources our government has compared to other countries that impose 27 - 35 per cent of personal income tax, what more could we expect? No doubt some resources are channelled into "inappropriate investment", but I really think that it's time for our researchers back home to rethink on how we can "sell" our research ideas to the private sectors.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-76333686783636178492007-06-06T17:42:00.000+08:002007-06-06T17:42:00.000+08:00Can anyone give me an idea of the salary ranges fo...Can anyone give me an idea of the salary ranges for lecturers/professors in the Public Universities and the Private Universities in Malaysia.<BR/><BR/>Thanks in advance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-7114760200981632082007-06-06T12:11:00.000+08:002007-06-06T12:11:00.000+08:00I agree with anon 7:58 a.m.Most of the public univ...I agree with anon 7:58 a.m.<BR/><BR/>Most of the public universities has an unstated quota for non-bumi lecturer. YOu won't see it in any "pekeliling" but it is there and can be easily notice if you do some statistic<BR/><BR/>As for private universities, I have seen some very good academic staff there. Way better and dedicated to their job compare to the staff in public uni. Some of these lecturers already have quite a number of good publication before they join the private uni. Some are experienced lecturers from public university and some are good research scholars who has done research in good international institute. It is true that the teaching resposibility might be a little heavier than the public universities. The main reason for the lack of publication from private university, however, is due to the denial of research funding from the goverment (i.e. IRPA and etc). I have seen some of the works of these academics and the quality is way better than what we have in the public universities. This raises another issue as the current system has failed to fully utilised our human resourse efficiently and wasted all the local talent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-29300771414054963162007-06-06T07:58:00.000+08:002007-06-06T07:58:00.000+08:00Time for me to throw in my 2sen into the ring (mix...Time for me to throw in my 2sen into the ring (mixed metaphors).<BR/><BR/>Discriminatory hiring policies like some posters say do exist. Take a look at the faculty at UTM and you'll see only Malay lecturers there. When I was doing my undergraduate there, my supervisor told me that there's no future for a non-Bumi there and best try to apply overseas for postgrad studies. Likewise, other friends have similar experience. However, the trend seems to be changing recently as they have sent some students who completed their masters there to do Phd overseas and when they return, they'll be bonded for around 8 years by the faculty.<BR/><BR/>On the subject of Phd students publishing 10 top quality journal papers, I'm sure it's possible but I doubt if it's the norm. Anything from 3-5 is probably normal. <BR/><BR/>University professors in Malaysia don't have enough publications? I think in private universities, the focus is on teaching undergrads so they hardly have time for research. I'm actually amazed by my friends there who still manage to churn out a few publications every year with all the load on them. In public universities, I agree that the x international journals = y domestic journals thing is a joke. The other way some academics circumvent this is by publishing in the low-quality journals of other countries, which are also considered as international journals. I think we can prevent this by only accepting the publications in top journals in the SCI as one of the prerequisites for promotion.<BR/><BR/>On patents, there are good quality patents as well as bad quality patents. I agree that some people value patents over other publications. However, patents are not peer reviewed. They are examined by patent examiners who may or may not be experts in the field. The peer review process may be flawed but it's the best we have at the moment.<BR/><BR/>Funding is also limited here. I guess this is because we have no local industries to speak of. Besides the government funding, there's almost no funding coming from elsewhere. Private companies here are just not research oriented or care enough to fund our local researchers. Maybe it's a chicken and egg thing. More funding = more people for research or more research = more funding. Which comes first?<BR/><BR/>The other question is what's the goal of the Malaysian universities? To be top teaching universities? To be top research universities? I think they need to determine that. It's possible to be both but I think a total revamp of the system is needed, in that case.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-75777376834012798302007-06-05T21:41:00.000+08:002007-06-05T21:41:00.000+08:00Oh by the way, do not judge without reading the ne...Oh by the way, do not judge without reading the newspaper report. Similar recruiting interviews had been done in the UK and is going to be held in Australia. Jangan main hentam saja. <BR/><BR/>And be realistic when you criticise, where do we get enuf money to pay "super" academics? As long as they have acceptable credentials, they should work well to reform the current stage of Malaysian education.<BR/><BR/>Education is always a calling. Many good researchers even in NZ (where I am studying) chose to forgo positions in Australia and overseas to serve in their under-funded government universities, and they do reasonably well.keropok lekorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02110042756784437734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-44092940425715909242007-06-05T10:23:00.000+08:002007-06-05T10:23:00.000+08:00"why don't MOHE advertise the opening in internati..."why don't MOHE advertise the opening in international journals like science, nature or other international media and to ask those applicants to send the CV to the respective university." <BR/><BR/>Do you think that the meager salary of our IPTA can attract good talents from overseas? Why do these overseas talents have to work under some politicised Deans with no research credentials? Absolutely no point to advertise the posts in in international journals!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-89857804918930226162007-06-05T06:25:00.000+08:002007-06-05T06:25:00.000+08:00I found it very strange to recruit university lect...I found it very strange to recruit university lecturers in stesen sentral. why don't MOHE advertise the opening in international journals like science, nature or other international media and to ask those applicants to send the CV to the respective university. In fact, there are a lot of well qualified PhD holders and students living overseas. they must be more than happy to send CV to apply for the academic position in university. By doing recruitment in stesen sentral kuala lumpur, obviously, those people who are now living in foreign countries will not have chance to get the position.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-5297374574651277052007-06-05T06:02:00.000+08:002007-06-05T06:02:00.000+08:00Apparently, there is no new post.What happen to To...Apparently, there is no new post.<BR/>What happen to Tony and Kia Ming?<BR/>Are they doing well?<BR/>I hope Pak Lah will not send someone to "pick up" Tony and Kian Ming!<BR/> <BR/>SAY NO TO ISA!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-40013818645768320302007-06-05T02:02:00.000+08:002007-06-05T02:02:00.000+08:00I think people are afraid to post because some her...I think people are afraid to post because some here are complaining of off-topic discussions eventhough, in my opinion, the discussions of metrics of measurements such as papers and patents are all related to quality of the faculty in the IPTAs and whether the govt has the political will to rectify the situation and how to go about recruiting the best. Obviously, walk-in interviews and on-the-spot hirings are really ludicrous.<BR/>It is by looking at how our competitors such as the universities in Singapore are doing, that we have a reference point to know how bad we are.<BR/>I am really impressed the universities in Singapore still come out very well even when we consider the higher standards of counting patents. NUS, especially, is really competitive with some of the best in US and UK. This is an objective observation because I don't work in NUS but I know some senior people there.<BR/>UM and NUS started off as equal and how in the world did we lag so far behind that we are only comparable with those in 3rd world countries?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com