PETALING JAYA: Two academics have questioned the lack of diversity among experts tasked with drafting a new higher education blueprint, noting that the line-up omits, among others, vocal critics in the sector.
Sharifah Munirah Alatas, an independent academic, said NGOs like the Malaysian Academic Movement (Gerak), student associations and parents’ groups – who are experts in their own right – should have been included.
Student associations, she said, endure daily problems associated with political interference and poor management, while several NGOs have done groundwork to assess problems encountered in the field.
They are important stakeholders who have a critical say in the quality of education with far-reaching implications for national development, said Munirah.
“These groups also have their ‘ears and eyes’ close to the ground, are forward-looking, and have a long-term vision.
They are able and willing to offer unique and nuanced angles to higher education problems and solutions, she told FMT.
Munirah went on to criticise the higher education ministry’s failure to follow-up on the existing plan, saying what has been done was not enough.
Has there been any annual or interim report about how the country has benefited, or not, from the blueprint? No. This is a serious neglect on the part of the higher education ministry.
Last week, higher education minister Zambry Kadir confirmed that the Malaysia Higher Education Plan 2026-2035 was in the process of being drawn up and will be completed by the end of this year, according to Bernama.
He added that it will replace the current blueprint, which ends next year.
Zambry said the new plan will set out the direction of higher education over the next decade in line with technological advancements.
Tajuddin Rasdi, an Islamic architecture professor at UCSI University, agreed that none of the experts selected to draw up the blueprint have spoken up against the government in the past.
He said the academics involved were mostly scientists and engineers, and wondered why others such as Zaharom Nain and former education minister Maszlee Malik were not involved.
Zaharom is a communications expert and a vocal critic of university management and academic culture, Tajuddin said, while Maszlee is an expert in Islam who had previously wanted to amend the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971.
“Are we saying that understanding our heritage, arts and also communications between communities, ethnic groups and religious faiths are unimportant to the university direction?
Most of our issues are related to failure to appreciate cultures, heritage and other faiths by our graduate citizens.
Meanwhile, former Sungai Benut MP Tawfik Ismail said the line-up lacked a regional focus.
He said there were universities in the region with academics of admirable quality.
Why don’t we tap their knowledge and their expertise as well?
Tawfik said the team drafting the blueprint must contain a better balance of academic backgrounds.
The arts are just as important as science or technology when it comes to national development, he said.
This article was originally published in Free Malaysia Today