6 reforms for the higher education ministry to consider

 

From the Malaysian Academic Movement

The Malaysian Academic Movement (Gerak) would like to submit several proposals for higher education reforms.

We previously and regularly discussed these points in public, as well as with political and administrative officials over the years.

Indeed, some of the reforms that we propose here are more urgent in nature. We and many others – both in government as well as in academia and civil society – are confident that the proposals outlined are realistic and achievable.

Gerak feels that to implement the following proposals, all that is needed is political will, enabled by an efficient bureaucracy.

We hope that the higher education ministry will seriously consider our proposals as they are in line with the ideals of the current government.

First, based on the many ongoing concerns and criticism of the quality of education in Malaysia, Gerak suggests that a special budgetary allocation be made for a thorough, transparent, and independent study on the state of the higher education sector.

This would be the initial step towards education reforms. In this regard, a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) would be ideal, because it would involve a critical look at the entire spectrum of education, from preschool up to the tertiary level. However, if an RCI is not possible, any thorough and independent study would suffice as an alternative.

Second, university administration must be restructured. For too long, Malaysia’s universities have been under the yoke of the higher education ministry. The top managements of our public universities have rarely spoken independently, let alone analytically. This relationship needs to be reset, from the current overt hierarchy and political subordination to one of mutual respect and critical engagement.

Third, amend and repeal the laws that stifle academic freedom. Such laws impact negatively on academic excellence because they inhibit analytical and independent thinking which are crucial to producing new knowledge and objective scholarship. To this end, the Universities and University Colleges Act must be repealed. It is an authoritarian legislation that contradicts the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We strongly urge the government to replace it with legislation that efficiently regulates the autonomous functioning of universities and protects the freedom of university students and academic staff. Educational excellence is guaranteed when there are fundamental protections of freedom of thought and expression.

Fourth, review and re-orientate the obsession with global university rankings (GURs). It is time for the government to create more awareness about the unethical nature of the GURs game. Find qualitative alternatives to rank our universities, and at the same time reduce our excessive reliance on quantitative metrics that evaluate academic and scholarly quality. The key is to find a balance.

Fifth, seriously address academic dishonesty in universities, among both students and academic staff. For example, the practice of forced co-authorship of research articles causes low morale among some academic staff and many graduate students. In the social sciences and humanities for example, the practice is for the supervisors of PhD students to put their names on articles for publication that were solely written by their students. This is extremely unethical but a widespread practice in Malaysian universities. It is tantamount to student exploitation.

Sixth, transform the corporate culture that has invaded the corridors of academe. Remove the clocking-in system. Universities are not factories, nor should they be run like a civil service bureaucracy or a huge corporation or company. The rationale behind a clocking-in system is that it allows the employer to monitor the attendance of employees.

The system provides an indisputable record of when the employee started and ended the workday. This practice is practically unheard-of in the hundreds of leading universities in the world. It is also demeaning and implies that academic staff cannot be trusted.

In an organisation such as a university, close relations or a camaraderie are supposed to be formed among 

employer

 and 

employee

, and between lecturers and students. The requirement of clocking in obstructs the process of creating trust and goodwill, particularly between the academic staff and the university administration.

Removing the clocking-in system is the first step in according lecturers the status that is due to them as potential world-class scholars. The practice should cease immediately.

Gerak stands ready to assist the higher education ministry and other parties to achieve these fundamental institutional reforms.

We believe that with the adoption of these measures, Malaysian universities and academia can finally reclaim their autonomy and freedom. Both are crucial to producing the academic excellence the country needs to become an inclusive, civilised, pluralistic, and productive nation. - FMT

The Malaysian Academic Movement is an academic advocacy civil society organisation, championing good governance in universities, academic integrity and academic freedom.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.