Education plan must not remain mere words
New Straits Times (Columns)
2 Sep 2007
Chok Suat Ling 

THERE was a buzz of anticipation within the cavernous plenary hall at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre when the prime minister stepped to the podium to launch an action plan for higher education last week.
Vice-chancellors, academics, ministry officials, undergraduates, and educators filled the hall to capacity.

They ruminated enthusiastically over the salient points when details were revealed — the establishment of apex universities, more autonomy for public universities, strategies to make graduates more employable, the selection of the best people to lead universities and others.

Indeed, the National Higher Education Action Plan 2007-2010, which took a team of experts two years to draft, and an accompanying National Higher Education Strategic Plan for beyond 2020 can bring about enormous changes in higher education, complementing the National Education Blueprint 2007-2010 unveiled in January.

It will help raise standards of tertiary education in the country, said to have dropped over the years.
As an example, Universiti Malaya was ranked 89th in the Times Higher Education Guide survey in 2004.

The following year, it went down to 169 and last year, it was ranked 192.

Much has also been said about the unemployability of undergraduates, the exodus of good lecturers from public universities and excessive red tape.

For International Islamic University Malaysia rector Professor Datuk Dr Syed Arabi Idid, the plan would assure the progress of public universities and push them towards global status.

"For us, autonomy in selecting students, lecturers and raising money is important," said Syed Arabi.

"Now student intake is governed by the Higher Education Ministry and funding by the Finance Ministry. More autonomy will enable us to forge ahead."

Establishing apex universities, he noted, was praiseworthy as it ensured healthy competition between institutions of higher learning.

"There will be pressure to perform. The apex university will need to safeguard its position so it cannot be complacent either."

Yayasan Strategik Sosial executive director Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria described as significant the government’s commitment to give public universities more autonomy.

"There is too much bureaucratic control in universities. Their development is being stifled as a result.

"Lecturers need freedom to research, write and develop intellectual space. We cannot regulate them, treat them like bureaucrats and yet expect them to be creators of thought."

The private education sector is grateful that the ministry is finally giving it "clearer direction".

Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities president Dr Parmjit Singh noted:

"There has always been talk about making Malaysia an education hub and we have been searching for clues all this while as to what it involves. Now there is clarity."

Most crucially, the industry is pleased with what it calls the ministry’s "new culture of consultation".

Parmjit said three or four years ago, the situation was different.

"We had to toe the line and sometimes we would be cursing and swearing at them (the ministry).

"There is now a lot of goodwill and engagement. There may still be problems but at least we have the opportunity to resolve them."

To reciprocate, Parmjit said the industry would give the ministry full support to ensure the plan’s success.

The rating of public and private institutions of higher learning was one area. It has not taken off all these years as the industry did not agree with certain aspects of it.

"We have no objections but the criteria should be carefully developed. "It is hard to rate private and public infrastructure on the same level so benchmarks must be set," said Parmjit.

"It is also important that those doing the rating understand our business."

But while the plan contained many illuminating points, some quarters argued that what was more important was implementation, and whether such ambitious plans could effectively be enforced where they should be, by those entrusted to do so.

Jayasooria thought it was necessary for new people to be brought in to manage public universities.

"There is need for new blood. Universities need to bring in corporate people to help in management. It is pointless to have the same people looking at the plan and praising it but not acting on it. If they had wanted to effect changes, they would have done it earlier.

"The problems, issues, strategies and action have been identified. There is now need for political will, rigour and change management agents, otherwise nothing will move.

"Universities have to find the right people. They cannot innovate if the same people who are obstacles to change continue on."

But others argued that the ministry had at least acknowledged that there was a problem and had taken that all-important first step to overcome it.

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