Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Putra Malaysia have retained their status as research universities for another three years beginning this year, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said.

He said the decision to retain their research university status was based on the audit report of their performance for the year 2007 to 2009.

“Generally, the four research universities have given a significant impact on achievements in research and churning out human capital in the country.

“Their achievements were gauged based on four aspects, namely, human capital, publication, patent and intellectual property rights (IPR) and income generating,” he told reporters after the ministry’s monthly assembly here Tuesday.

He said that in terms of human capital, the number of post-graduate students in the four universities showed an increase of 34 per cent, from 29,794 in 2007 to 39,819 last year.

“In terms of publication, the number of publications in the citation index increased from 2,303 in 2007 to 4,346 in 2009, which is an increase of 2,043 or 89 per cent,” he added.

He said a nine per cent increase in IPR was recorded in 2007 at 217 to 237 last year and in terms of income, the amount generated increased to RM746.7 million last year from RM436 million in 2007.

Source : BERNAMA

Technorati Tags: research universities, ukm, UM, universiti kebangsaan malaysia, universiti putra malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, university malaya, upm, usm

This article was written by Mohd Khuzairi Ismail and published at Utusan Malaysia on July 20, 2010.

There was a fuss sometime ago when the number of female students going to institutions of higher learning for the 2009/2010 year exceeded the male students.

From the 40,366 candidates offered to do their first degree at public institutions of higher learning (IPTA) since last June , 65 per cent or 26,200 people were female students.

However, it is nothing unusual because since the past few years, the trend of female students dominating the IPT is normal. It happened in countries where women have equal access to education system.

But, there are other matters than the total number of new students to IPTA which should be our concern. According to racial composition, 27,829 of them are bumiputera, 10,116 are Chinese and the remaining 2,421 comprise the Indians and others,

In principle, the number of bumiputera students is still high, but what is not seen is the actual breakdown of the students that are able to go to IPTA based on meritocracy.

Since 2003, the intake of students to IPTA is no longer based on the quota of 55 per cent for bumiputera and 45 per cent to the non-bumiputera. The meritocracy introduced by the government gives equal opportunity for students of all races.

When it was first introduced, the meritocracy system, among others, refer to a form of lesson for the bumiputera not to waste the opportunity to study given to them by the government. Under the system, the students are chosen based on 90 per cent academic performance and 10 per cent on their co-curriculum.

During the early stage of implementation, the number of bumiputera able to pursue studies at IPTA was 68.9 per cent. It shocked many parties, especially those who opposed the system for fear that the system would favour the non-bumiputera.

However, after about eight years of implementation, there is a vast difference in the number of bumiputera students.

This year, for the 2009/2010 session which begins last June, the number of bumiputera students eligible is said to be only 26 per cent. Although this is not revealed by the government agency concerned, there are grounds that it is true.

This means that the fear by many parties of the non-bumiputera dominating the IPTA has become a reality. This fear is based on, among others, the economic factor which enable them to do well academically., like their ability to go for extra classes or private tuition compared with bumiputera students, most of who rely on basic education taught in normal schools.

This injustice is felt by students in rural areas where their access to extra classes is limited. It is not impossible, there will not be any more bumiputera student eligible to enroll in IPTA if this merit system is practised. Hence, the need for the government to review this policy.

Not that this is not realized by the government, when it has to increase the number of students intake to Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) to balance the number of bumiputera and non-bumiputera students in IPTA. This is because UiTM is the only university which does not fully adopt the merit system. There will come a time when UiTM too can no longer accommodate them. Where else can the bumiputera students go to then?

The question of assuring education for the bumiputera has been enshrined in the constitution as that of the responsibility of the government. There is no need to feel guilty in ensuring more access for bumiputera to education , including at higher level, because it is their rights.

What more, when they could not afford to go to private institutions of higher learning to pursue studies, like other races would, if they could not get to IPTA because of the high cost involved.

The non-bumiputera should realise that the quota system implemented previously did not deprive them of an opportunity to pursue studies at IPTA. With the 45 per cent quota reserved to them, they have ample opportunities to enroll at IPTA.

Apart from that, they are several universities which cater for them like Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Wawasan Open University , New Era College and many more.

In other words, the non-bumiputera has no problems pursuing studies in the country even when the quota system was in use.

In fact, if the factor is taken into account, we will realise that the bumiputera is faced with a limited opportunity for further studies. If this situation is allowed to continue, not only will the economic power slipped through their fingers, there will also be a dearth of bumiputera intellectuals to administer the country in future.

The above article was written by Mohd Khuzairi Ismail and published at Utusan Malaysia on July 20, 2010.

Technorati Tags: bumiputera, Chinese, Indians, intake, ipta, meritocracy, racial composition, uitm, university

Seven public and 11 private institutions of higher learning (IPTs) have attained an excellent rating in the Rating System for Institutions of Higher Learning (Setara) 2009.

The public IPTs are International Islamic University Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Mara, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

He said the private IPTs were Multimedia University, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Sunway University College, Curtin University of Technology (Sarawak campus), Monash University (Sunway campus), Taylor’s University College, International Medical University, Swinburne University of Technology (Sarawak campus), Nottingham University (Malaysian campus) and Management and Science University.

Twenty-five universities and university colleges, of which 14 private IPTs and 11 public IPTS, were rated very good while four private IPTs were rated good, he told reporters here Monday.

However, no universities or university colleges earned a distinction rating, said Mohamed Khaled.

He said the Setara rating would be used as an input by the Higher Education Ministry in formulating appropriate higher education policies.

Mohamed Khaled said public and private IPTs, which earned an excellent rating, would be entitled to local and foreign government sponsored students besides government research grants.

They are also eligible for research university status and can enrol more graduate and postgraduate students, he added.

He said private IPTs, which were accorded an excellent status, would also enjoy, among others, flexibility and exemptions in applying for teaching permits and seeking approval to set the salary of foreign lecturers.

“They are also exempted from getting approval to set tuition fees and allowed to enrol foreign students automatically,” he said.

Source : BERNAMA

Please refer Senarai Tahap Universiti Berdasarkan SETARA 2009 for detail listing.

Technorati Tags: ipta, ipts, MQA, SETARA, universiti rating, university

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has moved a step further by introducing the short message service (SMS) in its learning methods for post-graduate programmes in its School of Distance Education (SDE).

SDE Pricipal Researcher (Mobile Learning) Dr Issham Ismail said masters or doctor of philosophy (PhD)-level students interested in conducting research on distance learning could obtain information and contact their lecturers using SMS.

“A mobile learning research team was created in 2007 when the higher education ministry provided a grant to conduct research on SMS as a module in the system of distance learning,” he told reporters here Monday.

He said, so far, 20 masters and PhD students had begun learning and conducting research with the help of the SMS.

Issham said the ministry had allocated RM330,000 for the learning, via the SMS programme.

Following the success of the SMS usage, USM has organised a two-day international e-learning conference, beginning Monday.

The conference, participated by representatives from 19 countries, is aimed at encouraging researchers and academicians to present their research on learning through telecommunications.

Source : BERNAMA

Technorati Tags: distance education, mobile learning, sms, sms learning, usm

Students who have sat for the examination of Malaysian University English Test (MUET) mid year 2010 test can check their results from July 8, 2010.

Results for MUET 2010

MUET Mid Year 2010 Results can be obtained by three methods;

1. Through school or their respective institutions while private candidates would get it by mail.
2. Through short messaging system (SMS) by typing MUET  Identity Card Number and send to 15888
3. Through the Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia (MPM) website

A total of 81.731 candidates have sat for MUET Mid Year at 872 test centers across the country.

MUET Year End 2010

Those are not satisfied with their performance in MUET Mid Year 2010 may try to improve their result by taking the MUET Year End 2010 test.

Those who are interested take MUET End of Year 2010 are required to register at the State Education Department or the District Education Office before July 22, 2010.

Source: BERNAMA

Technorati Tags: examination, Malaysian University English Test, Mid Year, MUET, result, test, Year End

A total of 2,380 new students are expected to register for postgraduate programmes in the University of Malaya starting July 2, 2010.

Its Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) Professor Dr Hamzah Rahman said that currently the university had around 10,000 postgraduate students, including about 25 percent international students from over 82 countries.

“I must say, it is not easy to get into this university…rejection rate is more than 60 percent because the demand for places in this university is much more than places available,” he said during the welcoming ceremony for new postgraduate candidates here.

Dr Hamzah said the university management had taken various steps to promote research activities and postgraduate education, including setting up eight research clusters which served as focal points for research projects conducted in the UM.

The university is also providing research grants worth RM90,000 for the PhD programme (over three years) and RM60,000 for Masters (over two years).

“The UM is the only research university in Malaysia that provides such grants to its postgraduate students,” he added.

Dr Hamzah said that the UM had also set up a unit called ‘Bright Spark‘ to attract outstanding postgraduate students and candidates selected would be given additional incentives such as monthly allowance and study scholarship.

Source : BERNAMA

Technorati Tags: Bright Spark, international students, postgraduate, research university, UM, University of Malaya

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) saw the registration of 4,043 new students here on July 3, 2010 for 2010/2011 intake.

USM Vice-Chancellor Tan Sri Prof Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said the students included 54 from China, Nigeria, Indonesia, Korea, United States, Iran and Saudi Arabia, who would further their studies at USM this year.

Speaking to reporters here yesterday, he said the number of new students who registered this year was higher, as compared to 3,000 last year.

Meanwhile, at the USM Health Campus in Kelantan, 708 students in medical science, health and dental science registered yesterday.

This included about 100 students under the USM-KLE International Medical Programme in India, he said, adding that the Engineering Campus saw 535 students register at the branch in Nibong Tebal.

Dzulkifli said all students would take part in a week-long Siswa Lestari Programme to expose them to various activities arranged by the university.

Source : BERNAMA

Technorati Tags: Siswa Lestari Programme, Universiti Sains Malaysia, usm, USM Health Campus, USM-KLE International Medical Programme

The PSD had announced the application criteria for its 2010 Overseas Sponsorship Programme (PILN) in the major newspapers in January and February this year, in addition to posting these criteria on its website. On 6th April, in his press statement, Y.A.B. Deputy Prime Minister reiterated these criteria as well. Over 18,800 students applied, out of which 10,956 applicants fulfilled the minimum requirements and qualified for the interview process. Of the qualified applicants, 7,900 scored all As, in all the subjects they had taken, including 214 students who scored all A+s.

As stated in the PSD website and the statement by YAB DPM, scholarships were given according to the following four categories:

1. Category 1 : Academic Excellence
   Twenty percent of the scholarships were allocated for this category. Applicants under this category were assessed purely on merit based on academic excellence (85%), co-curriculum activities (10%) and performance at the interview (5%). The socio-economic background of the applicants was irrelevant under this category.
2. Category 2: Racial Composition of the Population
   Sixty percent of the scholarships were allocated for applicants streamed under this category. Applicants under this category were assessed based on academic excellence (75%), co-curriculum activities (10%), socio-economic background (10%) and performance at the interview (10%). The selection of scholars reflected the racial composition of the population.
3. Category 3 : Bumiputera Sabah and Sarawak
   Ten percent of the scholarships were reserved for Bumiputera applicants from Sabah (5%) and Sarawak (5%). The selection was done based on academic excellence (65%), co-curriculum activities (5%), socio-economic background (25%) and performance at the interview (5%).
4. Category 4: Socially Disadvantaged Group
   Ten percent of the scholarships were allocated for applicants from schools that lack, or have limited, proper educational facilities and those that hailed from low-income families. The selection was done based on academic excellence (65%), co-curriculum activities (5%), socio-economic background (25%) and performance at the interview (5%).

Outstanding students who were not selected for the PILN 2010 scholarships (given the limited sponsorship of 1500) were offered additional 2000 scholarships to study in local private institutions of higher learning, including local campuses of foreign universities in Malaysia, such as, the Nottingham University, Monash University, Swinburne University of Technology and Curtin University of Technology. A notification to this effect was posted on the PSD’s e-SILA website on 16th June.

Apart from the PILN, the PSD will also be offering a local sponsorship programme (Program Ijazah Dalam Negara or PIDN). A total of 8,250 scholarships will be made available under PIDN. These scholarships are for students who have secured places at local institutions of higher learning.

Source : Corporate Communications Unit, Public Service Department Malaysia

Malaysian opposition-led states have banned sports betting, officials said, following protests over its approval by the central government in the Muslim-majority country.

The opposition-led states of Kedah, Penang and Selangor said they fear betting on sports will encourage gambling, a sensitive issue in Malaysia. Muslims, who make up 60 percent of the population, are not allowed to gamble or bet at all, but non-Muslims can buy lottery tickets, bet on horse races and go to the country’s sole casino.

Ascot Sports, a company linked to tycoon Vincent Tan, announced earlier this month it had received government approval to offer betting services for football and other international sports.

Although it does not include Muslims, the announcement sparked protests by mainly Muslim opposition and private groups.

“We don’t want another problem in this country,” said Muhamad Sanusi Mohamad Nor, an official in northern Kedah state. “Football is for sports, not gambling.”

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the northern state’s large non-Muslim population is free to buy lottery tickets, and sports betting is unnecessary.

“We just want to reduce the activity. It’s excessive,” he said.

An assemblyman in central Selangor state, A. Xavier Jayakumar, said his state would also not allow any sports betting.

None of the officials could say how many betting outlets would be affected by the ban. Opposition-run northern Kelantan state forbids all forms of gambling.

Ascot Sports officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The company said it planned to launch betting in August.

The government said that by legalizing sports betting, it could gain up to $1.2 billion in tax revenues, and that rampant illegal gambling would be curbed.

Malaysia’s three-party People’s Alliance opposition, led by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, won all four states in 2008 general elections.

The National Front, led by Prime Minister Najib Razak, has ruled the country since independence in 1957, usually without facing barriers to its policies. It still controls nine of 13 states.

Source : AP

Technorati Tags: Ascot Sports, bet, gamble, gambling, People's Alliance, sports betting, Vincent Tan

A political talk show producer has resigned from one of Malaysia’s main television stations, claiming Tuesday his superiors censored him in an apparent attempt to favor the government.

The resignation bolsters demands by social activists for more freedom of reporting in the mainstream media, which are often perceived to be biased against opposition groups because most newspapers and TV stations are owned or closely linked to parties in the ruling coalition.

Joshua Wong, a producer who has worked at the private station NTV7 for seven years, said he quit in late April after his managers repeatedly imposed restrictions on his Chinese-language talk show.

Wong claimed he was barred from inviting an opposition member of Parliament to speak on the government’s current economic reforms. He said he was also instructed not to include any discussion of campaigning for a recent legislature election that was intensely fought between Prime Minister Najib Razak’s ruling coalition and an opposition alliance.

“It’s very difficult to compromise this time,” Wong told The Associated Press. “If we continue to keep silent … this thing (will) happen again and again.”

An NTV7 spokeswoman said the station treated it as a “normal resignation.” She declined to comment further.

The station is owned by Media Prima Bhd., a media group which runs other private TV stations and one of Malaysia’s largest publishing groups. It is widely believed to have close ties to officials in Najib’s ruling United Malays National Organization.

Wong’s one-hour weekly show caters to the ethnic Chinese minority, who make up about a quarter of Malaysia’s 28 million people. Najib’s administration has suffered a slide in support among Chinese because of complaints that the ethnic Malay Muslim-dominated government discriminates against minorities by maintaining an affirmative action program for Malays.

Wong is known for his investigative documentaries on such topics as alleged trafficking of refugees.

Malaysia’s Center for Independent Journalism praised Wong for speaking up against alleged political censorship.

“Self-censorship is usually a shushed-up matter in newsrooms, and journalists affected are seldom inclined to expose them for fear of affecting their rice bowl in view of the harsh laws against media,” the advocacy group said.

Mainstream media need government licenses to operate, which critics say is an unfair restriction to ensure that newspapers and TV stations show flattering reports on the government.

Source : AFP

Technorati Tags: Joshua Wong, mainstream media, Media Prima, NTV7, political censorship, television stations