Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy has called on Education Minister Maszlee Malik to shed more light on the autonomous status granted to universities.

The former academic, who lauded the move, however said the issue must be clarified as to whether the autonomous status is “piecemeal or substantial”.

“Something substantial would include relooking the laws which curtail freedom and human rights such as the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA).

“As a former academic, I know how things were stifled, even the vice-chancellors were powerless.

“So a more detailed explanation must be provided as opposed to the Education Ministry stating that letters granting the autonomous status have been issued,” he told Malaysiakini.

Ramasamy, a former lecturer with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), also raised the issue of universities having financial autonomy.

“Universities have 'land bank'. Perhaps, we should look into the possibility of varsities exploiting their land bank to achieve this autonomous status with regard to finance,” he added.

Earlier, Bernama reported that all 20 public universities in the country have been accorded autonomous status after six universities received their autonomous status letters from the Education Ministry.

The ministry said the autonomous status gives power to the University Board of Directors (LPU) and the University Board of Governors to make their own decisions.

“The autonomy is a delegation of power to enable universities to move more effectively towards excellence and empower these institutions towards a global level.

“The autonomous status also enables universities to be more flexible in making decisions to determine their direction including finance and human resource management,” it said.

According to the statement, even though universities have the power to manage their resources without referring to a central agency, they should adhere to basic principles as the autonomy is not absolute and they are still subject to the government and ministry policies and strategies on higher education.

Before this, 14 public universities have obtained their respective autonomous status.