YOURSAY ‘Merit is not only about marks but intellectual capacity, leadership...’
‘Keep those not keen to study out of varsities’
Anonymous #44199885: Now this statement is so obviously stupid that it begs the question, from which university did Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang graduate from?
Students are admitted into universities not only to study but be involved in studies and that means they are to evolve and develop their own thoughts and share them as well. If need be, then do so through activism as the fabulous UM8 have done.
How will students who only keep their noses in their books contribute actively to nation building, show concern for their fellow man and lead and work to uplift the lives of the less fortunate?
Do such students merit a place in university? I think not. Merit is not only about marks but about intellectual capacity, leadership, compassion, etc.
Lamborghini: I think the electorate must keep people like Tan out of Parliament and the government because of his childish way of thinking.
So higher education is only "for those who want to study”? For those who will submissively accept everything poured into their empty brains? For those who will meekly obey instructions from higher authorities without debate or discussions? For those who will just memorise facts and then vomit back into their exam papers? For those who will not question anything that is wrong, unjust and undemocratic?
Is this the kind of third-class students that people like you and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin hope to produce to propel Malaysia to become a first world nation?
The way you think and talk, I am not surprised if you are also a product of our so-called universities.
Bury Lynas: Tan, you have get to out of the cave once in a while.
Our education policy is to push those not keen to study into varsities and those keen ones (with 10As in SPM results) out of varsities. Didn't you notice?
DonRom: I think Tan made a good point that entrance into local university must be given to those with merits... not simply given to anyone for political reason.
It's very hard to get into local university. I agree that it’s a waste if given to those not interested to study, but the entry should be based on merits.
Nil: The UM8 actually deserve generous merit points. What they did should contribute to their credit hours, no?
What good is it if they spent all their time at the library and not interested in what is outside?
The Analyser: You can always rely on the exam-obsessed Chinese to consider universities as nothing more than degree factories. Just take a look at the private universities. No playing fields, no liberal arts, no courses that require significant infrastructure. But plenty of money-oriented courses. One good thing about them though is that they are religion free.
Universities, as well as being a place of learning, should be places where young people expand their horizons in all aspects of life. But as usual, Malaysia’s hatred of young people means they develop the least rewarding, most controlled, most uninteresting campuses.
ACR: Why didn't this imbecile go further and tell students not to take up co-curricular activities, not to have a hobby, not to partake in social work, don't go to malls, don't read books other than textbooks, etc, since they should only be interested in studying and must really want to study.
Hafidz Baharom: Tan’s statement is moronic at best. While I abhor the fact that the UM students crashed through the gate to let in an alumni member, it should not be used to justify not giving everyone the opportunity to tertiary education.
Looking at our workforce where only one sixth of nine million are tertiary level graduates, we are experiencing not a brain drain, but a slump in both white collar and blue collar workers with certification.
We need more students in universities, both local and foreign, to achieve greater heights. Any politician who says otherwise is a mis-educated moron.
Dont Just Talk: Tan, what standard are you talking about, and how many of Malaysian universities are listed on Times Higher Education 2014 top 200 rankings ?
Urban voters are not stupid and Tan, no one will know you are stupid, if you don't open your mouth.
Respect: Tan, you have shown that you are an apple polisher and also talking without any basis.
Your idea of a ‘qualified’ student is one who is quiet and obedient and has no opinion on any subject. Unfortunately, many of our ‘qualified’ university graduates fit into that category.
Recently I was in UM and met a group of undergraduates in front of the Arts Faculty. When I enquired about the location of the Economics Faculty, almost all of them looked at me with blank looks and none replied.
Are we producing zombies or intellectuals? Is that Tan's idea of ‘qualified’ students?
To me, those eight Universiti Malaya students who are facing disciplinary actions are the genuinely ‘qualified’ undergraduates.
They have shown that they have minds of their own and they will become the future leaders of Malaysia, certainly not those zombies that our universities have been producing for many, many years.
Tok Karut: If kids don't want to study, I think it’s because of the low university rankings, teachers committing plagiarism and stealing students' work/ideas in their term papers as theirs... and stupid politicians like Tan.
Jesse: Tan obviously does not have a clue. Universities are not just places to study but vital institutions for education, and that includes all aspects of human development.
These students have met all criteria in their universities but are being threatened for their vocal stand against issues of national importance which are legitimate concerns of all citizens, regardless of political affiliation.
If this is the calibre of leadership in Gerakan, then God help us.
Merely singing the usual tune of the oppressive and corrupt government may help with a few brownie points but does not improve your own image or that of your ‘yes man’ party.
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