Associations urged to help train more scholars

The Star - Jun 2, 2008

CHINESE organisations have been urged to increase study loans for post-graduate studies to train more academics with PhD qualifications, reported Nanyang Siang Pau.

The daily quoted Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Hou Kok Chung as saying that there were very few Chinese lecturers with PhD qualifications especially after the implementation of the New Economic Policy as the number of Chinese students in public universities had dropped.

“Currently, only 12% of Chinese are studying at public universities and few continue with post-graduate studies.”

He said private and public institutes of higher learning in the country had gone through rapid development since the late 1990s.

“Currently, there are 20 public institutes of higher learning (IPTA) and 37 private (IPTS) ones but growth in the number of lecturers, especially those with PhD qualifications, does not match the development of these organisations,” he said.

Dr Hou said the Government was aware that it needed to train more post-graduate students by providing financial aid following the drop experienced by Malaysian universities in global rankings.