Malaysian Universities' Futile Chase For Ranking

 Malaysian Universities’ Futile Chase For Ranking

M. Bakri Musa

 

“You’re UM-Believable” blared the headline of a Malaysian daily last month, referring to the improved ranking of the country’s oldest university. As per the QS World University Rankings: Asia (QS-AUR) 2024, the University of Malaya (UM) now ranks 12^th in Asia and remains the nation’s top. 

 

“With our new tagline, home of the bright, land of the brave, UM will continue to strive for excellence into the future,” its head triumphantly added. 

 

This obsession with ranking, now a global phenomenon, is a recent preoccupation. The good news is that this might soon be passe, but not before consuming scarce valuable resources from its victims–the universities. This burden is especially heavy with already poorly-funded campuses in the Third World, Malaysia included. While American universities can afford those extra expenses, many top ones have already opted out of these meaningless exercises.

 

US News & World Report, the publisher of the most widely read “Best US Colleges” series, had long ago gone out of business with its newsweekly magazine. It is now reduced to publishing the “Best Of This and That,” reflecting the growing industry of ranking. 

 

Ranking exercises are but parasites on universities, consuming precious resources meant for their students, institution, and community. Nothing demonstrates this silly misplaced obsession with ranking than when a Malaysian campus goes hog wild celebrating its “improvement” from 469^th to 463^rd position! 

 

More pernicious with this obsession with ranking is the explosive growth of predatory journals. That is a major distraction for Third World academics for even the most “junk” article requires some effort to produce. That energy could be more productively expended elsewhere.  

 

A metaphor best illustrates the futility of such global ranking exercises. If you are already a suave dresser, then it would be appropriate to compare yourself with others similarly well-dressed, contrasting their choice of color, style, and type of material. However, if you are just emerging from the jungle or still living in it, your concerns are more basic, like the durability of the material and its ability to provide coverage and warmth. Style, fittings, and color schemes are not your priorities.

 

Accept the reality that no Malaysian university will ever make it to the top decile globally or within Asia in the foreseeable future. Having accepted that, focus on your basic mission – your primary responsibility towards your students, institution, and community. 

 

The critical measures of the quality of a university are its students, faculty, and contributions to the community. Improve those and you are well on your way to improving your institution. Develop your own matrix, one that can be used over time. 

 

A good place to start would be improving your input – your incoming students. Establish standards and criteria for your entering students that can be used for comparison over time, such as language (both Malay and English) competency as well as science and mathematical proficiency. A university is an expensive undertaking; it should not be used to provide remedial or matriculation classes that can be provided better and cheaper elsewhere.

 

For example, accept students with a minimum score of IV out of V in both English and Malay, using the current Malaysian Universities English Test (MUET) as a template. That would be an excellent start. Malaysian undergraduates should be fluent in both Malay and English, as well have some minimum competency in the sciences and mathematics regardless of their majors. 

 

With the glut of PhDs in the country now, the minimum qualification for new academics should be at least two years of post-doctoral experience, with demonstrated productivity as well as capability of conducting independent research.

 

As for the irrelevance of much local research, consider this. Despite the glut of business schools in Malaysia, no one has studied such spectacular debacles as Bank Bumiputra, Perwaja Steel, or the latest, One Malaysia Berhad. Malaysian academics are not curious? Likewise, the ratio of coastline to landmass in Malaysia is one of the highest. Yet few local universities have a marine biology department.

 

Paying attention to those areas critical to the nation is far better than gloating over your presumed ranking improvement.