Universities and Lecturers

Normally I don't subscribe to The Star as it contains massive colourful adverts, somehow to-day a copy of the paper was delivered to me. And I read it. Two news items struck my attentions.

1. On page 1 Ms Karen Chapman reported about 50 laggard lecturers from Universiti Malaya, my alma mater. She reported statements from her VC on the problem faced by UM with her staffs and tutors who for all reasons failed to complete their PhDs on time. Some of the problems cited were
a) changes in supervisors
b) lack of facilities and support

2. However, on page N4, the Deputy Prime Minister talked about having a better universities. He promised to improve the existing universities. However, why did he had been reported to have said,"All the states, including those that we have lost, already have universities"?

3. He also said Higher Education Ministry set for 70% of the academic staffs to have PhDs

4. I'm compelled to speak out as follows:-
a) After the introduction of a 3-year system for obtaining a First Degree many graduates are perceived by their lecturers and professors to have inadequate intellectual abilities to pursue and read for their MS and PhD
b) A few universities are perceived to award their students higher grades in their courses and obtained CGPA of >3.0 to enable them to get jobs or admitted to graduate studies. Upon their admission to graduate studies they were proven to be "what they were not" both in their basic knowledge and also intellectual capacity
c) Many lecturers are unable to teach and supervise their students in English well enough to make the students under their care understand their lectures and instructions

5. I had lamented on this issues many times that
a) Universities shall not be interefered by politicians
b) Universities academic leaders should reflect their academic excellence
c) Many universities, e.g. UKM, have laboratories and facilities which are under-equipped to compete with the regional counterparts, let alone their US or European or Japanese friends. The old OHP are still in use
d) Universities, e.g. UKM are run like hotels or municipalities with such things as "zon sitar tayar", "palang ke tempat letak kereta".

6. Tell me how is UKM going to be improved and be a university to reckon with in 2010 or 2020 when the universal fundamentals are not in place. The intellectual respect for professors are almost absent among the politicians and beaurocrats.