For all the spilt ink on how to improve Malaysian universities, the initiatives that ought to be undertaken are quite obvious. The challenge is whether there is the political will to implement these initiatives and whether the universities can find a good man or woman to carry out these moves firmly yet being sensitive to the local culture of the universities. The story on NUS below presents an excellent case study for Malaysian universities. Malaysians should get over their pride and learn from Singapore.
Also, politicians should try not to interfere with the day to day running of universities. They should appoint a good man or woman and leave him or her alone for a few years. Ideally, a Vice Chancellor should stay for at least six years. It takes 3 – 4 years for a batch of students to graduate. For any initiatives to bear fruit, we have to be patient and let the Vice Chancellor do his or her work. Shih Choon Fong of NUS stayed as the President for 8 years.
In summary, these initiatives are:
(a) abolish (or lessen) the quota system for recruitment of staff and student;
(b) make publications in international refereed journals the key performance indicator for staff;
(c) benchmark pay to publications and research output. This will make it possible to pay younger research active staff more over their less productive colleagues;
(d) make the pay more competitive internationally with respect to research active staff;
(e) sign meaningful research collaboration and student exchange programmes with respected universities;
(f) hire internationally. The best person should be recruited for the job regardless of race and nationality. To do this, the pay has to be competitive internationally;
(g) hire faculty with strong PhDs. Pre-existing staff should be sent to respected universities for their PhDs; and
(h) implement a tenure and professorial system whereby external referees from respected institutions would have a significant input on the quality of the research of the candidate. The quality of research should be the determinative factor in awarding tenure or professorship.
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How tough treatment made NUS one of best
Sandra Davie , EDUCATION CORRESPONDENT
May 23, 2005
THERE was a time at the National University of Singapore when the name Shih Choon Fong was bad news.
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