Syed Mokhtar's Al Bukhary University Shuts Down

 The students at the High Court in Alor Star today, with their lawyer (left). - April 15, 2014

1. Students sue Albukhary International University over closure notice

•  Six Albukhary International University (AIU) students filed suit
• failing to give a written notice of closure as required
• Vice-chancellor, registrar and M'sian govt defendants (Why gomen? Syed Mokhtar?)
• demanding university adhere to Act, which requires one-year notice of closure.
• told verbally in February that the university will be closed down in June
• demand university put everything in black and white and not inform us verbally 
• many other students, who were unhappy over the transfers, may join them.
• verbally told that a particular university in Kuala Lumpur will accept AIU students.
• verbally given a list of some universities.
• students in limbo. They don't know what to do. 
• AIU funded by philanthropist (serious??) Syed Mokhtar Albukhary
• 230 students, out of 600, transferred to a university in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
• closure due to : student dissatisfaction and management issues
• Staff and students at full-scholarship university have endured uncertainty 
• speculation university to cease operations and would be sold.
• February this year academic staff informed campus may be closed 
• university has stopped taking students
• admission page on its website “closed for maintenance”

Here is the second report :

2.  Albukhary varsity to be ‘remodelled’, says interim vice-chancellor 

• Albukhary Int'l Univ. said it will be remodelled (by Ravi the renovation contractor).
• closing due to student dissatisfaction and management issues 
• vice-chancellor said institution intended to remodel itself. He did not give details.
• staff claimed they had become victims 
• cited as contributing factor ..resulted in the closure.
• CEO &; audit had opportunity to investigate when visited campus two months ago 
• However, not done & students transferred without knowing what is happening 
•  dismissed claims of mismanagement as reason for university's closure
•  Management issues leading to AIU's closure is 100% untrue.
• question is whether all reports brought to attention of board on monthly basis
• "If (they were) not, not the fault of staff
• responsibility of the management to bring up all matters ..to the board.”

This is very sad. It is another Club of Doom event. I have some knowledge of this university. Four years ago, Syed Mokhtar wanted to create a good university to help young people around the world get a university education.

Now some of the young people are suing the university for taking them on a wild goose chase. 

The university was modelled to enrol 70% foreign students and 30% local students - on full scholarship including board and lodging. 

Syed Mukhtar would fund the entire thing through an endowment (sinking fund etc). The 'islamic' name was wakaf.  Its the same thing lah - you need money. 

Four years ago a very highly qualified guy advised Syed Mokhtar that this model for the University would not work. Financially it was not sustainable. In the United States they also have universities that run on huge endowments and sinking funds, trust funds etc. Harvard University is one of them. But they produce world class research which in turn attracts grants from the government and the private sector. In brief they make huge money. This keeps their universities going.  Bukhary University, a start up, was not in a situation to do anything similar. 

Then something else happened. Syed Mokhtar had no intention of creating another "Islamic" university. The name 'Islamic' does not appear in the name. He wanted it to be a good university helping needy Muslim students.

Unfortunately the people he eventually hired to run the university had the Taliban philosophy. It became too 'religon centric'. The university only took in Muslim students. This was a mistake. It would have been better to have a mix of religions on campus. That did not happen.

They even offered a 2 credit course which gave credits to students who attended five times prayer in the mosque. This is frovolous. You do not give credit for something that is already an obligation on you. Plus, praying five times a day is NOT academic achievement. Even morons like tok guru and convicted sodomists pray five times a day.

The biggest building on campus is a mosque

The university also began classes with insufficient qualified or experienced teaching staff. Most were junior. This was another mistake. 

Plus there were management issues.  The CEO visited the campus TWO MONTHS ago. This means the CEO IS NOT BASED ON CAMPUS. Then where is he based?

The news report says the management did NOT advise the Board of all matters.  

My view is even if the management did report everything to the Board, so what? Would the Board have been in a position to do any better? Well the University is closing down. That does answer the question.

The land on which the university stands belongs to the State. If the University does not function, the State will take it back. And do what with the huge campus? That will take even more millions to refurbish and reuse the buildings. Kedah does not need any more universities right now.

This university can be saved. It can be turned around and made into a world class instituion. With common sense and logic everything is possible.