Recently, the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) -QS World University Rankings 2009 is out. To the pessimists, it's just another annual rankings done yearly by some foreign organization out of boredom but to many especially those in the academia - this really rings a bell & the echoes are irritating.
So, in which ranks do the Malaysian universities belongs to? let's see...
Among the public universities, only UM made it to top 200 this year leaving UKM, USM - our so called APEX univ - UTM & UPM behind. Surprised? Frankly, I am not. It's somehow predictable. Why? Before further passing judgments, let's just peep into what are the criteria of the survey based on to.
QS managing director Nunzio Quacquarelli said the rankings identified not just the most highly-ranked universities in the world, but also the best performing universities in key subject areas, the universities most targeted by employers, those producing the best research, those investing in teaching and those with the most international profile. Click here for news.
I believe with this revelation, USM's credibility as an APEX univ. will be questioned. People will of course, start to compare as natural as it should be. One of the most predicted cynicism must be: what happened to USM ranking? Isn't it's the national APEX univ - huge amount of government money had been invested upon it plus it even has free autonomy to filter own selection, so, how on earth can it be outran by non APEX univ. in this matter?
I'm not against rankings. It's something good to remind us all on reality. My only query is that, is this survey/ranking really laid on tangible ground i.e. what kind of key subject areas are we looking at? which types of employers are we referring to (international, local)? what kind of international profile we are talking about?
In simple words, what I mean is that after all rankings is just an indicator posed by a foreign organization - complete stranger to our education system - who in their capacity, did they once step foot in this country experiencing for themselves our lecture hall? If not, then it is more or less the same as saying the Northern Arctic Polar Bear as off-white skin when it is not! Do you actually know that they have black skin? Think again.
Of course the main aim of the public Malaysian universities should be at least on the top 50 list of world rankings, that's for sure but I would say, in a long run universities should be more focused on their social responsibility by giving back to the society directly or indirectly. Directly, by means of the 'midas touch' of the graduates contributing back to the community upon graduating. While indirectly, academicians must be proactive in their researches not only to uplift living conditions of the public but most importantly preserve nature and promote sustainability in their scientific endeavors. Such are the essence that our universities still lacking of these days.
As the American poet John Ciardi put it all: "A university is what a college becomes when the faculty loses interest in its students"
Until the universities in Malaysia realized this, world rankings is but another coffee-stall everyday talk. Being part of the USM undergraduates, I would suggest that USM should first promptly abide to the immediate check-up. Unless this is resolved, the realization of world class university as a viable concept will face a daunting uphill challenge and it starts with you, inside, NOW.
So, in which ranks do the Malaysian universities belongs to? let's see...
Among the public universities, only UM made it to top 200 this year leaving UKM, USM - our so called APEX univ - UTM & UPM behind. Surprised? Frankly, I am not. It's somehow predictable. Why? Before further passing judgments, let's just peep into what are the criteria of the survey based on to.
QS managing director Nunzio Quacquarelli said the rankings identified not just the most highly-ranked universities in the world, but also the best performing universities in key subject areas, the universities most targeted by employers, those producing the best research, those investing in teaching and those with the most international profile. Click here for news.
I believe with this revelation, USM's credibility as an APEX univ. will be questioned. People will of course, start to compare as natural as it should be. One of the most predicted cynicism must be: what happened to USM ranking? Isn't it's the national APEX univ - huge amount of government money had been invested upon it plus it even has free autonomy to filter own selection, so, how on earth can it be outran by non APEX univ. in this matter?
I'm not against rankings. It's something good to remind us all on reality. My only query is that, is this survey/ranking really laid on tangible ground i.e. what kind of key subject areas are we looking at? which types of employers are we referring to (international, local)? what kind of international profile we are talking about?
In simple words, what I mean is that after all rankings is just an indicator posed by a foreign organization - complete stranger to our education system - who in their capacity, did they once step foot in this country experiencing for themselves our lecture hall? If not, then it is more or less the same as saying the Northern Arctic Polar Bear as off-white skin when it is not! Do you actually know that they have black skin? Think again.
Of course the main aim of the public Malaysian universities should be at least on the top 50 list of world rankings, that's for sure but I would say, in a long run universities should be more focused on their social responsibility by giving back to the society directly or indirectly. Directly, by means of the 'midas touch' of the graduates contributing back to the community upon graduating. While indirectly, academicians must be proactive in their researches not only to uplift living conditions of the public but most importantly preserve nature and promote sustainability in their scientific endeavors. Such are the essence that our universities still lacking of these days.
As the American poet John Ciardi put it all: "A university is what a college becomes when the faculty loses interest in its students"
Until the universities in Malaysia realized this, world rankings is but another coffee-stall everyday talk. Being part of the USM undergraduates, I would suggest that USM should first promptly abide to the immediate check-up. Unless this is resolved, the realization of world class university as a viable concept will face a daunting uphill challenge and it starts with you, inside, NOW.
