Make academics earn their posts

TheSun 15Nov2005 Make academics earn their posts THE current controversy over the fall in ranking for two local public universities in the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) survey shows the need for the nation to review the status of our universities, and in particular their academics. In the late 1980s, there was a similar controversy when a local daily published revelations about mediocrity in the academia. Back then, there was already a realisation that the quality of some of our academics was questionable. Having followed this controversy closely since then and also having first hand experience with some of these academics, I would say that the situation now has worsened. It is no secret that many of the professors and associate professors in the local public universities got their posts not for their academic ability or international recognition but due to their seniority. Some, especially those in science and engineering, got their posts even earlier when they were offered them by their vice- chancellors (VCs) in order to stop them from leaving for one of the newer universities or for the private sector. This has led to some talented young lecturers leaving the teaching field since they do not wish to play along with the unethical crowd. In some universities, a lecturer can obtain the post of associate professor if he has published a set number of papers in local or foreign journals. To obtain the post of professor, he only needs to double the number of published papers or write a book that is published. In most cases, it really does not matter whether the lecturer's work has broken new ground or his papers have been cited by others. As a result, these universities now have professors whose intellectual ability is highly questionable by international standards. Having surfed the websites of leading western universities, I often come across the resumes of their academics. These resumes are usually accompanied by a list of published works and some include the membership of international organisations, where their expertise is recognised. Some of these professors also do not have doctoral degrees but they are recognised as authorities in their fields from the citations they have accumulated. Often, I could see that some senior lecturers have a long list of published papers but they have not even been promoted to the rank of associate professors. This is because at these universities, these higher ranks are reserved only for those whose works have been recognised through peer citations. Hence, a professor in a leading western university is usually an academic who is already recognised as an authority in his field of study, not someone who has been in service longer than others or who has published papers that are often neglected by his peers. In order to arrest the decline in the quality of local academics, the Ministry of Higher Education should ensure that all universities and colleges post the resumes of their academics on their respective websites. The resumes should include all the papers that the academics have published in local and foreign journals and conferences. There is no problem for universities to publish all these resumes since their websites often display non-academic information that use memory intensive graphics. A few years ago, some of the local universities did post the resumes of their academics but these have been withdrawn when a regional magazine pointed out their low publication rate. The ministry should also set a minimum standard for the post of professors and associate professors so that VCs will only promote those well qualified. Besides the papers that they have published, these academics must also provide the list of citations that proved that they are worthy of being called a professor or an associate professor. This is to ensure that those who already hold the posts are really qualified for the post, otherwise they should be redesignated to the appropriate rank until they make the grade. If the ministry is serious about the quality of the public universities, then it should ensure that only deserving academics of international standing hold the rank of professors and associate professors. This will ensure that the younger generation of lecturers will strive to become professors through intellectual abilities rather than by other means. Zahar Kuala Lumpur