Source:
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/budget-cuts-affect-public-universities-225000771.html
How budget cuts affect public universities
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 ― The austerity drive in public universities has resulted in a conundrum between providing quality education and working within a much tighter budget compared to previous years.
Under Budget 2017, public universities will see their combined operating budgets slashed by about 19 per cent, or RM1.5 billion, a bigger cut than last year’s budget, and out of the 20 public universities in Malaysia, 10 of them will be facing massive cuts ranging from over 10 per cent to over 31 per cent.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh has reportedly said that public universities have become too dependent on government funding, and that a decade ago, it was a fraction of what was now given.
But what do the budget cuts mean? What is the feasibility of public universities sourcing out alternative funding? Will it compromise the quality of education being offered in varsities?
Seeking funds in turbulent times
Professor Emeritus Datuk Abdul Rahman Embong believes that public universities should be allowed to continue providing education and training and serving the community as best they can, and that reducing their operating budgets will affect this.
“Reducing the budget for public universities and demanding that they raise their own funding has the effect of turning the principle of education as a public good on its head.
“I would like to state a fundamental principle that education is a public good, and that it is the responsibility of the government who is supposed to represent the public interest to ensure it is offered to the public from the judiciously managed taxpayers’ coffers,” Abdul Rahman, who is adviser to the Malaysian Social Science Association and Principal Fellow at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's (UKM) Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), told Malay Mail Online in an email interview.
He said that while some universities will find ways to cope with the budget cuts by collaborating with each other in terms of aspects like facilities, there will be a tight race between varsities to source out alternative means of funding.
“Some will succeed while some others will not be as lucky. It is a crowded market out there with hopeful fund-seekers while funders hold tight to their purse especially during these turbulent times,” he added.
Azmil Tayeb, a senior lecturer with the Universiti Sains Malaysia's (USM) School of Social Sciences, said that the cuts have resulted in university staff being deprived of basic work needs like office telephones and desktop computers.
“A few lucky ones get hand-me-down computers that have seen better days and in most likelihood slow and near obsolete. As the minister has clearly stated, he wants public universities to depend less on government and increase alternative sources of funding.
“That statement in itself is acceptable but the drive for alternative funding should not be done at the expense of diminishing the main function of a public university as a public good serving as the engine for social mobility for the less fortunate. Public universities should not be run as a business entity, where only the bottom line matters,” he told Malay Mail Online in an email interview.
Citing an example of an upcoming event between USM and Bournemouth University in the UK, Azmil explained how a cut in operating expenditures affects possible collaborative work between public universities and their international counterparts.
“The event will be held in Penang at the end of March and there's no allocation for it. It's a great opportunity for USM to establish an international network and expose our students to ideas from outside.
“Raising funds for this event has been very challenging as we try to scrape together contributions from both public and private sectors, which, as it stands now, is still insufficient,” Azmil, who is in charge for the event, said.
He added that USM might have to forgo many collaborative opportunities in the near future due to a lack of funding.
How cuts affect research work, education quality
According to UKM's Abdul Rahman, the financial cutbacks have made it difficult to secure government research grants which are already limited. This means that researchers would have to rely on outside funding, including those offered by international agencies
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Comments:
When there is a budget cut, this will happy the mediocre at the universities, but believe me, it will have impact on the quality of education of our young talents, namely:
1- Okay budget cut, so from now on, no more "Lawatan Sambil Belajar" ke JPA, MAMPU, INTAN, etc.. Even though the "Lawatan Sambil Belajar" seem trivial, but believe me, its an eye opener to our young, who may not even experiences the real public office settings and its operation before this - and this is a great way to promote interest and confidence, and determination to strive for excellent! - And this is gone or reduced.
2- Okay budget cut, so from now on, just relax and do nothing, no more "Sporting Events". This will create a weak and less healthy graduate and citizens in the future. When I was at the universities, and participating in various sports activities, this has instill the natural spirit in me to want to wake up early in the morning and do some exercises. - But nowadays, graduates from IPT are not active in sports and do not do much exercises, this will create a weak society and weak person - And weak persons are easily prone to sickness and many diseases . Therefore easily prone to sickness in the near future.
3- Okay budget cut, so from now on, no more collaborations with international universities or institutions, as you know when we "collaboration", we need to fork out money first, and spend, before we can see the fruits growing in the future. - And this is also gone, or reduced.
4- Okay budget cut, so from now on, no need to have too many "co-curricula" activities. No need for debate club to go outside to debate, no need to go to Kementerian Sukan for exposure, no need to have friendly matches with other institutions, no need to have Khidmat masyarakat program or Turun Padang programs. - You know the reason for the existence of the co-curricula activities is to instill the leadership quality and confidence, and the will to help others - And all this is even gone, or minimized.
Quality will definitely drop, most people who use their brains will know that !!
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