As founder of Cyber Village, Tony Pua is a dotcom winner and the youngest CEO to list a company on the Singapore Stock Exchange.

After these early successes, the self-made Malaysian millionaire proceeded to stun friends and colleagues by swapping the ethical purity of the business world to devote his talents to politics, where he currently serves as economic advisor to DAP leader Lim Kit Siang.

Pua offers his assessment of the education scene from the other side of the side of the political fence.

You run the widely read blog, Education Malaysia. What sparked you off and what do you hope to achieve?

Pua: The underlying principle is the firm belief that 'education' is the best route to equality of opportunities and wealth in our unequal society. I'm personally a product of such a principle and I believe it's important to instill the belief that no matter what your background, there is every opportunity to do well in education. It is the ticket to break the poverty cycle and jump out of the poverty trap.

While the blog covers a variety of issues, it places a little more emphasis on the top universities in the world for the simple reason that there is a severe lack of such information available, as opposed to the millions spent by private colleges marketing their programmes. It is my hope that with more information, more Malaysian students who are not lacking in talent will gain access to top schools around the world.

The new National Education Blueprint was unveiled recently to much fanfare. Is the introduction of 'cluster schools' and greater autonomy for principals a good move?

The Blueprint is excellent from the perspective of its design and objectives - particularly in its focus to strengthen national schools as well as nation building. However, it is sorely lacking in terms of tackling the persistent problems that are the causes of the declining standards and attractiveness of our national school system. These problems include the issue of increasing Islamisation of national schools, or segregation of students in the school canteen.

The introduction of 'cluster schools' will be an interesting case, because providing autonomy will not necessarily lead to better standards. For cluster schools to succeed, they not only need funding and autonomy, they also need access to the best teachers, administrators and students. In fact, without this, autonomy may lead to poorer performance through the implementation of grandiose ideas, and it may be very difficult to reverse the damage.

Vernacular and national education is a hot topic. How could we make the system more reflective of national rather than communal aspirations?

Unfortunately, 'national aspirations' cannot be viewed purely in the context of the vernacular versus the national system. While having multiple systems seems counter-intuitive as far as national integration is concerned, it must be viewed from the larger national policy context whereby certain communities feels threatened by socio-economic policies that are not promoting integration.

Hence piecemeal efforts toward greater racial integration, while helpful, are insufficient. Besides the necessary reforms to the national schools system, concrete efforts need to be made by the government to address the national socio-political and economic issues before a truly 'integrated' national school system can be widely accepted and adopted.

Is the current curriculum adequate to meet the needs of the next generation? What changes would you like to see in the syllabus?

While there is little empirical evidence on this issue, anecdotal evidence from educators strongly suggests that our syllabus and examinations have been watered down. As a result, many believe that students are not studying rigorously enough, resulting in a weaker mindset.

My personal belief is that while the syllabus outline can remain the same, the content must be strengthened, particularly for top schools, in order to produce students who can gain entry and challenge the top universities globally.

The issue of polarisation in universities and colleges worries some. What can be done to reverse this trend?

With the perception that the government does not treat its students equally along racial lines, it is only natural that some young Malaysians feel resentment towards those who appear to have benefited 'unfairly'. The fact that certain groups receive privileged education at special colleges, as well as alternative routes into university education, only serves to reinforce the polarisation seen today.

What changes would you like to see in the operation and development of the public universities?

There are a few key reforms I'd like to see. The first concerns the selection and appointment of vice-chancellors. They are the leaders of the institutions, and hence it makes sense for the best to be selected to lead. To do this, we should have a permanent search and evaluation process for VCs and their deputies. There should be some form of permanence in the process to instill a culture of transparency and integrity.

Our local universities should follow the best practices of the world's best universities by advertising the vacancy globally. Resumes should be collected and headhunters appointed to seek the best. Shortlisted candidates should be evaluated by the university and the selection committee (comprising eminent academics) before the best is chosen.

Second, there must be transparency and meritocracy in the promotion process. Affirmative action has no place in academic promotion, which must be focused on excellence. And third, students must be set 'free'. When our university graduates are molly-coddled academically via spoonfeeding and socially via overly restrictive regulations, it's not surprising that many lack the resourcefulness, independence, and critical and analytical thought desired by employers.

What are your views on the growth of the private higher education institutions over the past couple of decades?

Without dwelling on the details, their spectacular growth in the country definitely makes higher education more accessible. However, this growth has come, in my opinion, at a cost. Standards have unfortunately fallen with increased commercialisation and intense competition. Not only are entry requirements lowered such that students who should have sought more suitable paths can gain entry, but proficient lecturers are clearly in short supply.

MARK DISNEY is chief editor of Prospect Malaysia , a bimonthly magazine examining trends and developments in Malaysia's public universities. This appeared in the latest issue of the magazine.