I must disagree with Jane Dollah who commented that students involved in politics do not excel in their studies ('Students should get their priorities right', July 9).

If students involved in politics do not make good grades, what about if they were involved other 'legal' extra-curricular activities - won't they do well, too? Secondly good grades are not an indication of one's IQ or success in the post-university 'dog-eat-dog' life.

A university should not just be a place for teachers to pass on knowledge to students and for the latter to pass exams. A university is a place of 'higher learning', where our minds learn to think and query and question assumptions and do research. It is a place where the young inquisitive, idealistic mind can flourish under mentors and professors that have travelled that road before.

What have we made it to be today with the Universities and University Colleges Act? A place where students learn to mug and cram information in their heads, preferably just before an exam, and all to be forgotten soon after. It is a simple download of information from teacher to student. The idealistic and inquisitive mind is censured and ensured to never flourish or blossom. It is disciplined. It is compressed.

What type of professionals do we have as a result? As an employer myself who interviews about 50 new graduates a year, I find the quality of our local graduates appalling. Their grades are more often than not exceptional, but when tested on simple technical data or just asked simple definitions, they are not able to perform. They lack the social skills and ability to carry themselves professionally. They either whisper their answers because of lack of confidence or boast in a cocky manner, both of which is a negative social response.

The quality of students that walk off the graduation stage is a direct result of the way we are training our university students. Many students are not able to think inquisitively and apply themselves to the challenges at work. After all, let's be honest, how much of what we learn from our professors or text books is actually used at work and contributes to our career advancement? Perhaps 30 percent. The rest comes from our ability to think on our feet, query assumptions, and apply knowledge wisely.

The recent spate of ISA arrests among student activists will only serve to unleash a greater tide of resistance among our youthful, idealistic minds. The Tiananmen Square incident is a manifestation of that.