The Star

Gerak: Proposals for reforming varsities well received

Tuesday, 24 Jul 2018

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Academic Movement (Gerak) that has been calling for reforms in universities said its proposals were well received by the Education Minister.

“The Education Minister was supportive of our suggestions. It is all a matter of time. Many Malaysians look at (Pakatan Harapan’s) 100-day pledge as a be-all and end-all.

“We, however, understand that out of the 10 demands we raised, many can’t be fulfilled within 100 days,” Gerak chairman Prof Zaharom Nain of Nottingham University Malaysia Campus said when contacted after a town hall meeting with Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik at Universiti Malaya yesterday.

The group had submitted the memorandum on June 11, calling for the appointments of vice-chancellors, their deputies and university boards and that of other top university administrators to be based solely on merit and not politics.

Perhaps particularly radical, Gerak also called for the Pakatan government to target all academics who had been appointed for their political links to be replaced with respected, independent-minded, analytical and accoun­­­table academicians.

The meeting, which was attended by about 20 top academics and scho­lars, was Dr Maszlee’s first such session since assuming the post in May.

Prof Zaharom said the ethos and culture of excellence in universities must be brought back.

The ministry said it would issue a statement on the meeting today.