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BIG SLIDE: The Malaysian Science University, which offers science-related courses, fell 30 places to 307th in the international THES-QS rankings. -- PHOTO: MALAYSIAN SCIENCE UNIVERSITY WEBSITE
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KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA has jumped to the defence of its education policies after its universities fell to their lowest-ever rankings in an international survey.
The findings by the Times Higher Education Supplement-Quacquarelli Symonds (THES-QS) published last week have reignited a debate on the lack of a proper meritocratic system in Malaysia's university admissions.
The University of Malaya (UM), regarded as the country's premier university, dropped to 246th place from 192nd last year. National University of Malaysia, ranked 185th last year, plunged to 309th.
The Malaysian Science University - the only one given an 'outstanding' five-star rating in a government survey - fell from 277th to 307th in the same period.
The THES-QS rankings are closely watched in Malaysia because they give a clear indication of where the local institutions' standings worldwide. Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford and Yale maintained their top positions for the second year.
The slide in rankings for Malaysian universities dovetails with concerns over their declining standards over the years.
Mr Martin Ince, who coordinated the survey, said this year, academics were not allowed to rate their own universities. This affected the Malaysian universities' ranking, he told The Straits Times in an e-mail.
But Higher Education Minister Mustapa Mohamed said many believed that the drop in rankings was also caused by what he called an 'egalitarian education policy' - making tertiary education accessible to as many people as possible.
'Massification of higher education was the right choice for a young, developing country,' Datuk Mustapa wrote in The Star newspaper on Wednesday.
The policy aims to get 40 per cent of Malaysians into higher education by 2020, up from the current 29 per cent - or close to one million.
But critics say this has caused a rapid slide in standards.
There are also different intake examinations, with non-Malays having to sit for an A-level equivalent, regarded as a tough pre-university test. Most Malays are admitted based on results of matriculation courses, seen as easier to pass.
Before 2002, the government had imposed racial quotas on university entry, with 60 per cent of the places reserved for Malays. The quota system was abolished to make the Malays more competitive.
Associate Professor Azmi Sharom of UM's law faculty said quality will suffer as long as there is the dual entry system. 'It's time to have meritocracy in the proper sense,' he told The Straits Times.
Mr Ong Kian Ming, who writes a well-regarded Malaysian education blog, blamed the slide on the quality of academics, as only one-third of them have doctorate degrees.
He said many lecturers were promoted based on their administrative know-how and know-who, rather than on works published in respected journals.
But Datuk Mustapa disagreed, saying four universities have been granted 'research university' status, which comes with extra funding to carry out research.
'Vice-chancellors must therefore ensure that their institutions uphold the academic tradition to 'publish or perish',' he wrote.
In August, the ambitious National Higher Education Action Plan was launched. It proposed, among other things, the setting up of 'apex universities' where only the best brains will teach and study, and raising the number of PhD holders.
But eminent academician Khoo Kay Kim felt there was too much emphasis on increasing the number of PhD holders, instead of producing quality doctorate graduates. 'If this goes on, next year I expect the rankings to slip further,' he said.
kumhor@sph.com.sg
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