Koh: Post-doctoral fellows should not be regarded as students - The Star

GEORGE TOWN (July 28, 2008): by Bernard Cheah

Gerakan has objected to the definition of "student" being expanded to include post-doctoral fellows and people pursuing distance-learning and off-campus programmes in the proposed amendments to the University and University College Act (UUCA) 1971.

Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon "Post-doctoral fellows are no longer students even in the loose sense of the word," Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said in a statement today.

"They are almost like faculty members as they often do research and work as teaching assistants as well.

"Students enrolled in distance-learning and off-campus programmes should also not be subjected to the same definition of 'student' because they are only studying part-time, while having another job and other responsibilities.

"They are also not on the campus most of the time, except for tutorials over weekends."

Koh said these people should be allowed to engage in other activities, including taking part in political parties, as they are usually given a flexible time-frame to complete their studies.

"In this way, we hope that our local universities will then be able to attract the best and the brightest, including Malaysian scholars currently overseas, to teach our students and to do research locally," he said.

"This will contribute towards our objective of having world-class universities."

Koh welcomed the proposed amendments as they would give greater autonomy to university administrators and professors, and greater freedom to students.

He said Gerakan had been calling for amendments to the UUCA for a long time, especially the "draconian restrictions" on students in Section 15 as well as the "top-down" procedure for appointment of top posts, such as the vice chancellor (VC), deputy vice chancellor (DVC) and deans.

"We welcome the proposed amendment whereby the VCs and DVCs will no longer be political appointments but appointed on the advice of a selection committee and deans, in consultation with the faculty members," he said.

Koh said the change is important to allow more objective talent hunt, where chosen leaders will be well accepted and respected by other academics and students.

"It will create a more conducive environment for the pursuit of knowledge, innovations and research. This is very much in line with our nation's commitment to achieve a knowledge society with a competitive economy in the context of globalisation," he said.