Reasons for the Decline in Applications for Post-graduate Programmes in UKM

At the recent senate meeting of UKM, the members were informed of the alarming decline in the number of applications for the various post-graduate training programmes in UKM. Apparently, this is the phenomenon seen also in the other universities. A special task force will be set up to look into this issue.

My own view on this is rather straightforward. I believe the key factor is the reduction in the amount of funds available for research. There is much less available now for research in the 10th Malaysia Plan compared to previously. Our researchers very much depend on research grants to embark on research projects and offer these projects to post-graduate students. Ask the researchers and most would lament this problem of difficulty of getting research funding.

The funding schemes (ERGS and FRGS) are also now more competitive. The private universities are now also allowed to participate in the grant applications. I personally believe the private universities should be allocating part of their profits (except for those with not-for profit entities) for R&D and only allowed limited excess to the public funding. Some of the private universities are actually Malaysian campuses of established universities abroad which we know are very strong financially.

My third view is that UKM should start looking at the possibility of charging bench fees to foreign students especially for laboratory-based research. Many of us who did our PhDs in the United Kingdom were charged 12,000 to 14,000 British Pounds per year (easily RM50,000 per year) for bench fees to support our PhD work in the laboratory. We can call this special fees or a special post-graduate grant which the country sponsor must pay in advance to UKM. I believe there are many excellent researchers in UKM who are capable of attracting good post-graduate students to their laboratories and with the students getting sponsored by their respective governments.

Professor Datuk Dr. A Rahman A Jamal (7th July 2014)