Malaysian universities, Univerisities and University Colleges' Act (AUKU),educational excellence?

DAP National Deputy Chairman and MP for Kepong Dr Tan Seng Giaw proposes that the Government put the 138 recommendations of the 2006 Higher Education Report into a timed shcedule to ensure their implementation, so that Malaysian universities will become centres of excellence.

Dr Tan made the proposal at the briefing from AUKU Review Committee in Parliament on 13.7.2006.

Every Malaysian who has real intelligence in his or her brain, should have opportunities to be discovered, so that he or she can realize the full potential. This is a factor in promoting the country to be a developed nation.

In 2005, the former Higher Education MInister Dato' Dr Haji Shafie appointed Tan Sri Dato' Wan Mohd Zahid to chair the Committee to study, review and make recommendations concerning the development and direction of higher education in Malaysia. This year, the report with 138 recommendations is presented to the House. These include the philosophy of higher education, review of the laws governing higher education such as AUKU and project MyBrain 15 to produce 100,000 Ph.Ds by 2020.

The Government must implement these recommendations, including putting them into a timed schedule. The current Higher Education Minister Dato' Mustapa must pay special attention to this. It must be remembered that in 2001, the Government published the Education Development 2001-2010 Report. Despite the action plans in the report, there has been precious little real action.

We shall present definite proposals for the amendment to AUKU, consistent with the objective of creating the country into a world-class centre of excellence in education.

Higher education must move towards excellence. Vice-chancellors, professors and lecturers must change with the time. Granted, it is easy to profer change by others, while the person himself or herself resists change. He or she keeps to the status quo -- the vested interest.

Laws governing higher education must be amended: AUKU must be able to cope with the need for cross-fertilization between our universities and leading universities in the world. The present number of foreign professors and lecturers of over 600 must be increased. The academic world that remains insular can only suffocate.

We cannot allow any form of extremism to surface in our universities. Nevertheless, we must let hundred flowers bloom and hundred schools of thought contend. Sccieties which are not extreme must be permitted to exist in students' unions such as a Marxist society. As universitiy students, we were exposed to Marxism and Leninism. As these are idealism and utopian, we are not Communist.

Apart from AUKU, we must amend other related laws, so that higher education in Malaysia can be more vibrant. We should achieve world-class excellence by 2020.