Thoughts on the apex university thing

I initially wrote these to online newspapers, but Sept 16 obliterated all interest on this issue. ah well, for whatever it's worth...

Apex university, non-apex universities: going up, or down?

Universiti Sains Malaysia has won apex university status, gifting itself the privilege of participating in this "accelerated program for excellence". This result proves that USM's prowess in presenting an impressive transformation plan. But whether USM will succeed in attaining international distinction on par with the world's leading universities will hinge on its ability to overcome discrepancies between the objective and the means to get there. There are at least five areas in which the goal of "transformation" is unsuited, even at odds, with the programme being implemented.

First, the process of building universities of excellence takes a long time and requires massive effort, but the selection of our apex university was brief and highly dependent on this document called a transformation plan.

Our Minister of Higher Education, Khaled Nordin, himself admitted as much. He explained that USM was selected because it is ready to follow a long journey towards world class status. However, he remains captivated by the BN attitude of supreme impatience and belief that "excellence" can be dictated from Putrajaya.

If universities must take the long road, why follow the short road in determining which one is most capable of excellence? The selection process took just one year. At the early stage, universities were assessed on "quantitative" grounds regarding their readiness to engage in transformation. Obviously, though, that the real competition took place at the next stage, when the transformation plans were evaluated. Malaysia of late has become very clever at producing plans of dazzling colour and sound, but less vigorous to face up to deep-seated problems. The apex university process fits this pattern.

Second, the BN government bestows privilege first, presses for performance next. Following up on the issue above, the transformation that is emphasized involves thorough and inconvenient change. In view of this, it is curious that the selection process did not at all require contestants to prove their ability and potential in the areas that need to be pursued.

The key features of an apex university include having the best leaders, best faculty and best students. Such an academic community, according to plan, produces the best management, best research and best workers.

If that is the case, it would have been much better to give universities 3-5 years to compete according to these criteria. The institutes could be appraised on their performance in augmenting research and publication, as well as innovative capacity in nurturing mature graduates and designing excellent research and study programmes.

Nope. The Abdullah Badawi administration wanted an apex university fixed within a year and this university leaping to be among the top 100 universities in the world by 2010 (according to the 2007-10 Higher Education Plan). In other words, the plan demands the trophy minus the toil, even though in the real world we must toil before the getting the trophy. This method also conforms to the pattern of BN projects.

Third, this new approach prioritized in the apex university has elements that can truly spur excellence, but strangely these are denied to non-apex universities. The plan to establish apex universities stresses autonomy of management from government interference, student selection on the principle of meritocracy balanced against considerations that the student body be representative of plural society, and selection of vice-chancellor by an independent body following transparent and trustworthy procedures. If these measures are conducive for excellence, why not introduce them to all universities? Why must non-apex universities be caged in the old ways that have stunted their development?

A reform agenda that is all too important for excellence is restricted to the apex university, as though the government does not want other universities to be excellent. If the intention is for the apex university to be an example – well, how are the rest supposed to follow USM when it will have so much privileged access and will operate according to vastly different rules?

As usual, the BN government craves a learning culture and creative energies without upholding freedom of thought and encouraging habits of critical enquiry in the higher education institutions. BN remains too addicted to power to make a principled effort to expand pillars of excellence to all Malaysian society. Can USM on its own succeed without reforms at every stage of our education system and in all other higher education institutions?

I am not confident. It should be remembered here that one reason USM was accorded apex status is the commitment in its transformation plan to involve other universities in its programmes. If others will be left behind, as scheduled, will they be in a position to collaborate with USM as it accelerates toward transformation?

Fourth, the Ministry of Higher Education has not elucidated the obvious discrepancy between the development path of world renowned universities and our plan for transforming local universities. I, surely along with many Malaysians, want our higher education institutions to attain real and firm success. But we also observe that the rise of most top universities occurred less from government command, more out of the effort and initiative of the institutes themselves. Government can provide impetus and incentives, but recognition is gained through the academic community's pursuit of the highest excellence, not because status was bestowed from on high.

Fifth, this apex university programme has been set up, as far as made known to us, with privileges and mandates installed, but without an effective regulatory mechanism. Status has clearly been rewarded (the easiest part), but no one has clarified how it will be maintained, and most importantly, whether it can be revoked (the hardest but necessary part). The perks of selection are huge – different organizational structure, special access to funds, etc. But unless the cost of failure is high, we could end up with another project that never lives up to its potential, or worse, a quagmire of abused public money.

This a fatal missing link in many BN development programmes: glistening at the start, faltering or absent at the finish. There may be no better mechanism to ensure USM will stay on track than the prospect of revoked privilege. But this runs against the grain of the way things are done in this country.

So USM wins, and may move up. The rest lose, and without comprehensive reforms, will continue moving down.

Universiti Apeks, universiti bukan apeks: Naik taraf, turun taraf?

Universiti Sains Malaysia telah memenangi status universiti apeks, menghadiahkannya keistimewaan menyertai "program pemacuan untuk kecemerlangan". Keputusan ini membuktikan kehebatan USM membentangkan pelan transformasi yang mempesonakan. Sama ada USM akan berjaya mencapai taraf antarabangsa setanding dengan IPT yang unggul di dunia bergantung kepada kebolehannya mengatasi percanggahan-percanggahan antara matlamat ini dan kaedah yang sedang diceburi oleh Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi. Terdapat sekurang-kurangnya empat aspek di mana objektif "transformasi" IPT tidak sesuai, malah bertentangan, dengan program yang sedang dilaksanakan.

Pertama, proses mendirikan universiti cemerlang mengambil masa yang lama dan memerlukan usaha yang meluas, manakala universiti apeks dipilih dalam masa yang singkat dan sangat bergantung kepada suatu dokumen bergelar pelan transformasi.

Menteri Pendidikan Tinggi, Khaled Nordin, sendiri mengakui demikian. Beliau menjelaskan bahawa USM telah dipilih kerana ia bersedia mengharungi jalan yang panjang ke arah status dunia [Mkini tv interview]. Namun, beliau masih tertakluk oleh sikap kerajaan Barisan Nasional yang serba kurang sabar dan yang percaya "kecemerlangan" boleh diperintah dari Putrajaya.

Kalau IPT perlu berjalan panjang, mengapa ikut jalan pendek dalam mengenalpasti yang mana paling mampu mencapai kecemerlangan? Pemilihan universiti apeks mengambil masa hanya setahun. Pada peringkat awal IPT-IPT telah dinilai secara "kuantitatif" tentang kesediaan menjalankan "transformasi". Nyata sekali bahawa persaingan yang sebenar berlaku di peringkat seterusnya, di mana pelan-pelan transformasi ditaksirkan. Kebelakangan ini Malaysia sangat pandai mengeluarkan pelan yang berwarna dan berbunyi menarik, tapi kurang berdaya berhadapan dengan masalah-masalah yang mendalam. Proses universiti apeks sepadan dengan corak ini.

Kedua, kerajaan BN hadiahkan keistimewaan dahulu, tekankan prestasi kemudian. Berkaitan dengan perkara di atas, transformasi yang dititikberatkan melibatkan perubahan yang menyeluruh dan yang akan menyusahkan. Memandangkan ini, pelik sekali bahawa proses pemilihan universiti apeks langsung tidak memerlukan peserta-peserta membuktikan kebolehan dan kemampuan mereka dalam perkara-perkara yang perlu diceburi.

Ciri-ciri utama universiti apeks termasuk mengandungi pemimpin terbaik, fakulti terbaik, dan penuntut terbaik. Komuniti akademik sebegini dirancangkan akan menghasilkan pengurusan yang terbaik, penyelidikan yang terbaik, dan pekerja yang terbaik.

Kalau begitu, jauh lebih baik memberi IPT-IPT 3-5 tahun untuk bersaing mengikut kriteria tersebut. IPT boleh dinilai atas prestasi meningkatkan penyelidikan dan penerbitan, serta daya inovasi dalam membuahkan graduan yang matang dan merangkakan program penyelidikan dan pengajian yang cemerlang.

Tidak. Pentadbiran Abdullah Badawi mahukan universiti apeks ditetapkan dalam setahun dan universiti ini melonjak menjadi antara 100 universiti terbaik di dunia menjelang 2010. Dalam kata lain, pelan ini mahukan pingat tanpa peluh, walaupun di dunia sebenar kita mesti berpeluh sebelum berpingat. Kaedah ini juga sepadan dengan corak projek-projek Barisan Nasional.

Ketiga, pendekatan baru yang diutamakan di universiti apeks memang menggalakkan kecemerlangan, tetapi peliknya dinafikan kepada universiti-universiti bukan apeks. Pelan mendirikan universiti apeks menekankan autonomi pengurusan daripada campurtangan kerajaan, pemilihan penuntut atas prinsip meritokrasi dengan pertimbangan ia mencerminkan masyarakat majmuk negara kita, serta pemilihan naib canselor oleh badan profesional mengikut prosedur yang telus dan amanah. Sekiranya langkah-langkah ini adalah baik untuk kecemerlangan di mana-mana universiti, mengapakah ini tidak dikemukakan kepada semua universiti? Mengapakah universiti-universiti tidak bukan apeks masih dikurungkan oleh kaedah-kaedah lama yang menjejaskan pembangunan?

Agenda reformasi yang serba penting bagi kecemerlangan dihadkan kepada universiti apeks, seolah-olah kerajaan tidak menginginkan universiti bukan apeks menjadi cemerlang.

Seperti biasa, kerajaan BN inginkan budaya belajar dan daya kreatif tanpa menegakkan kebebasan berfikir dan menggalakkan tabiat soal-menyoal di kalangan komuniti IPT. BN tetap ketagih kuasa dan tidak berprinsip menyebarkan tunjang-tunjang kecemerlangan ini kepada seluruh masyarakat Malaysia. Mampukah USM bersendirian berjaya tanpa reformasi di segala peringkat system pendidikan dan di semua IPT?

Saya kurang yakin. Perlu diingatkan bahawa salah satu sebab USM diberi status apeks adalah komitmen di dalam pelan transformasinya supaya melibatkan IPT-IPT yang lain di dalam program-programnya. Kalau IPT lain ketinggalan universiti apeks, seperti yang dijadualkan, mampukah mereka berganding bahu dengan USM yang memacu ke arah "transformasi"?

Keempat, Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi masih belum menerangkan percanggahan yang jelas antara jalan pembangunan universiti-universiti terkemuka di dunia dan pelan transformasi yang diterajui. Saya, pasti bersama ramai rakyat Malaysia, memang inginkan IPT kita berjaya secara benar dan teguh. Tetapi kita juga memerhatikan bahawa pembangunan kebanyakan universiti puncak bukan hasil perintah kerajaan, tetapi hasil usaha dan inisiatif IPT sendiri. Kerajaan boleh memberi dorongan dan insentif, tetapi kemasyhuran dicapai kerana komuniti akademik memburu kecemerlangan tinggi, bukan kerana taraf tinggi dihadiahkan dari kuasa atas.

USM menang, bermungkinan menaik. Yang lain kalah, dan tanpa reformasi menyeluruh, akan semakin menurun.