I refer to the Malaysiakini article Avoid decline and fall of UM .
I hope the higher education ministry and the Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) are serious and are resolved to improve the education system in our universities.
In the fifty years of independence we have seen the rise and fall of the quality of education offered by local universities. The education system was geared to mass produce ‘graduates’ but failed to review their quality of graduates. Due to this oversight, we had to deal with the problem of a high unemployment rate among our graduates who lack marketable qualities for the current job market.
To further aggravate the problem, the policy-makers went on a spree to set up universities in every state and to make Malaysia a location for overseas students to further their studies. The local universities thus became appealing to students from lesser developed countries situated on the African continent, in the Middle East and the former Soviet Union.
This is based on our observation of the student mix at local universities. These students come here to seek a better education and at an affordable price. But besides paying extra for their courses as compared to local students, they are also subjected to hidden costs especially when buying food at cafeterias and for other services at the university.
These foreign students are actually charged double for food at cafeterias and in some universities, also for photocopying.
But the saddest part of all these unplanned and shortsighted arrangements is the inadequate facilities provided to students both local and foreign. I will cite universities like the Universiti Industri Selangor (Unisel), the Management and Science University (MSU), the Advanced Management & Technology (PTPL) Group of Colleges and even the Multimedia University where many people whom I know have studied or are studying.
Among the problems faced by students are:
- Unethical distribution of National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) funds.
I believe that instead of chasing higher rankings and superficial recognition, local universities should reflect on the problems brewing at their grassroots level. Their students are their customers and it is their obligation to provide the most conducive environment to produce complete scholars with skills and credentials critical to the current job market or business environment.
Many of the universities aspire to obtain ISO 9001 certification (or already do) but which customer do they seek to satisfy?
The writer is director, Malaysian Association of Standards Users.
