'End the quota system for sake of education standards'

PETALING JAYA: Quota policies and halfbaked teaching staff will mark the doom of universities.

The don of the country's oldest institution warns that local varsities must cease their quota policies to improve the standards of higher education and assure a thinking, all rounded workforce.

Universiti Malaya (UM) vice-chancellor Tan Sri Prof Dr Ghauth Jasmon said UM and other universities can only become world class if they forgo race-based quotas.

“If we want to be top again, we must bring in people regardless of race. We must bring in high quality professors into the system in all fields regardless of who they are.

“And in anywhere in the world you go, the top universities do that.

“When I came here, I realised the percentage of academics that are really performing is smaller than those who are not performing,” he said, responding to a 2011 World Bank report that found the standards of UM had fallen due to race-based quotas and political interference in the university's management.

The publication added the emphasis on Bahasa Malaysia in the education system had resulted in a downward spiral for UM compared to the National University of Singapore (NUS) which had continued with English as the language of instruction and research.

He added that discontinuing quota policies would allow local universities to climb up in the world ranking of top universities.

“I have an opinion as to why there is such resistance for local universities to compete in world ranking but the answer to that is it involves politics, language, race and so on.

“I have been accused of being anti-Bahasa Melayu because they believe universities that go for ranking are not helpful to the Malay cause,” he said.

Ghauth said 200 academic staff had failed their doctorate when he became vicechancellor in 2008.

Ghauth said the university — at least under his watch — expects performance because UM has been “tolerating failures and must take a tough stance to prevent mediocrity”.

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