The lows of higher education in Malaysia

Inequities in access/selection and quality continue to hold back higher education.

COMMENT

By Vince Tan

It is that time of year again, when students know if they will be getting a place in the public university of their choice. For most, local tertiary education is the only avenue for higher education. This is provided for under Article 13(2)(c) the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) which states “…higher education shall be made equally accessible to all…”.

Despite what is set forth in Article 13(2)(c) we continue to read headlines of inequities in the admissions process ─ excellent students don’t get a place in public universities while more fortunate ones are admitted despite less than stellar results. It appears that even a 4.0 CGPA is no guarantee of a place in public universities because public universities such as the University of Malaya conduct interviews to assess the suitability of a candidate. While I agree that academic excellence is not everything and that a holistic approach is important, it is the lack of transparency that frustrates applicants and raises doubts about the selection process. It is a fact that competition is indeed tough for the high demand courses but is it too much to ask that a candidate be at least provided with a reason as to why their application was rejected?

Then there is the issue of quality. The University of Malaya (UM) is ranked 151th in the latest QS World University Ranking and the best in Malaysia. This particular ranking is often cited to justify selection decisions and yet there are concerns about the quality of education its’ students receive.

The university boasts very well established libraries with a massive collection of books yet struggles to provide basic necessities such as Wi-Fi, efficient bus transportation and sufficient lodging on campus for students.

We once attracted the most talented academics in Malaysia such as Wang Gungwu, Farish Noor and K.S Jomo yet now struggle to retain good teaching talent. Could this be because academic freedom which is the essence of quality education is constantly being trampled upon, I suspect for political reasons? The most recent being the UIA2 case at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) where students were prevented from organizing a talk on the Goods & Services Tax (GST) which was to feature Rafizi Ramli, MP for Pandan and Lokman Adam, a representative from UMNO.

Don’t authorities know that the suppression of freedom of expression and thought creates a culture of fear and leads to self-censorship, which ultimately affects the quality of institutions of higher learning.

The need to act is immediate. If we fail to do so we risk the danger of education becoming a class issue where only the rich who can afford to go abroad are able to avail themselves of quality higher education while those who come from poorer families simply have to accept what our local public institutions have to offer.

While much remains to be done to improve the access to and quality of higher education in Malaysia, let me not take away from the joy of those who did manage to secure a place at one of our institutions of higher learning.

Let me take this opportunity to congratulate you but also to remind you that the world is your most important teacher and that lessons should not be confined to just the four walls of the lecture hall. I urge you to be brave enough to step outside your comfort zone and learn the lessons that only the world can teach you.

Vince Tan, an FMT reader is the Secretary General of Progressive University of Malaya, a student rights movement advocating social democracy, social justice, moderation and progressivism