Although Universiti Malaya's (UM) ranking had gone down, yet the authorities at the university saw it fit to praise themselves - and this makes it difficult for Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang to stomach.

Today, he strongly criticised the use of seven billboards which commended UM for its performance according to the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES).

Not long after THES World University Rankings was released last week, seven large billboards across the campus emphasised that UM was ranked among the Top 100 in the fields of Arts and Humanities, Biomedical Science and Social Science.

"When self-respecting academicians and the country were reeling from last Friday's release of the rankings, which saw UM plunge 80 places from 89th to 169th position among the Top 200 universities, the UM Vice Chancellor (VC) was engaged in the single-minded passion of putting up seven billboards in the campus glorifying the university's fall from grace," he said.

Previously, UM VC Dr Hashim Yaacob was unperturbed by the lacklustre ranking and insisted that UM had in fact improved in standards since last year, but suffered in terms of rankings due to increased competition from other universities.

"I am not worried because we are still within the top 200 and for the first time a Malaysian university has broken into the top 50 in the arts and humanities and the top 100 in the social sciences," said Hashim according to the Star newspaper.

Priorities mistaken

Lim also questioned suggestions by Higher Education Minister Dr Shafie Salleh to increase the International Student Score, which makes up 5% of overall score employed by THES.

Shafie said on Thursday that he will personally try to convince Australian and New Zealand universities to conduct credit-transfer programmes to encourage their students to study in local universities.

Lim said that no university in Australia nor New Zealand would want a tie-up with UM, because major universities in those countries were ranked much higher by THES.

"Furthermore, there is something most repugnant and humiliating when the strategy to raise the excellence, quality and standards of Malaysian universities seems to be dependent on latching on to the achievements of foreign universities instead of by our own effort," said Lim.

Instead, the veteran parliamentarian suggested that Shafie should focus on the 95% that makes up the THES overall scoring system.

Lim is also calling for the Cabinet to discuss issues pertaining to UM's performance in the THES rankings during their meeting next week.

"I hope there will be more than a couple of ministers who have sufficient love for the nation and canscious of the fundamental principle of collective ministerial responsibility to speak up at the cabinet meeting to speak up for academicians, students and civil society that UM and Malaysia cannot afford to have a VC who had reacted with unabashed glee to the international 'fall from grace' of UM," he added in a statement.