Any Australian university better than the best Malaysian U?

This is one of the postings by Lim Kit Siang in his blog. The "best" University in Malaysia - University Malaya has fallen 80 places from 89th to 169th placing while USM diasppearing from the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) World Top 200 Universities Ranking 2005.



The Australian Universities in the Top 200 are:

Melbourne University - 19
Australian National University - 23
Monash University - 33
Sydney University - 38
University of New South Wales - 40
Queensland University - 47
Macquarie University 67
University of Western Australia 80
Adelaide University - 80
RMIT University - 82
University of Technology Sydney - 87
La Trobe University - 98
Curtin University of Technology - 101
Queensland University of Technology– 118
University of Newcastle - 127
University of South Australia - 154
Tasmania University - 166

As you can see, all 17 Universities from Australia has a better ranking than the so-called best University in Malaysia, UM. It is indeed a shame for us Malaysian. I'm not going to repeat what Lim Kit Siang had said in his blog. I would like to share some of my experience with all of you. Recently, I met a china friend, Emily from Beijing. I asked her whether she heard of UM before. She said no. I'm not surprised. Actually UM had sent a debate team in the international chinese debate in 1999 to Beijing. Though they fail in the finals, Victor Gu(previously the host of chinese edition "Who wants to be a millionaire") had also won the best participant award. However, UM emerge as Champion in 2001.

Click here for the relevant information.

I thought UM should have a good reputation there in Beijing. I was wrong! Not many people heard about UM in Beijing. Beijing Univeisity is ranked 15th as the best University in Asia ahead of Tokyo University(ranked 16th).

When the list of THES is out. Our deputy higher education minister, YB Datuk Fu Ah Kiao has questioned the credibility of this list. He said that, there must be something wrong. UM should not have dropped 89 places in just a year time. According to him, there should not be such a drastic change in ranking in only a year's time. However, UM is not the only deepest plunges Universities. Alabama University from US plunges from 90th to 175th. University of California from US is ranked 159th compared to last yeat 72th. Technical University Berlin in Germany plunges from 60th to 154th. Do these Universities questioned the credibility of the list released?

I heard MY FM just now. One of the DJ said that, there's really some "problem" in the list released, just as what our deputy higher educaion minister had said. However, the "problem" is not in this year's ranking where UM is ranked 169th. There must be some "problem" in last year's list where UM is ranked in the 89th placing!