An independent scholar has urged the government to prioritise strengthening academic culture in public universities instead of dwelling on the debate about local versus international student enrollment.
Sharifah Munirah Alatas said the core issues were the poor quality of graduates, weak academic standards, and intellectual repression on campuses – problems that persist regardless of student demographics.
She also said that the fixation on enrolment numbers distracts from urgent reforms, including repealing restrictive laws such as the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (Auku) and the Statutory Bodies (Discipline and Surcharge) Act 2000 (Act 605).
“Act 605, in particular, is mentally stifling and intellectually stunting. This piece of legislation has…