Kalau tidak mengayuh beca,
Mana tidak berasa jemu;
Kalau tidak rajin membaca,
Mana boleh menambah ilmu.
(Pantun semasa segmen Ulasan Akhbar, Selamat Pagi Malaysia, 20 September 2006)
Selain daripada berita rampasan kuasa di Thailand, satu lagi berita menarik yang saya ulas pagi ini adalah berita bertajuk “550 IPTS Digred Tahun Depan” (Berita Harian, 20 September 2006):
SEPANG: Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi akan menggred lebih 550 institusi pengajian tinggi swasta (IPTS) seluruh negara mulai tahun depan selepas tugas pengauditan semua institusi berkenaan selesai, akhir tahun ini.
Menterinya, Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, berkata IPTS yang mendapat Gred C, iaitu tidak memuaskan dari segi kualiti kurikulum, pensyarah dan kemudahan fizikal diberi tempoh membaiki prestasi atau lesen mereka ditarik balik.
Beliau berkata, IPTS yang kurang memuaskan dari segi kualiti boleh menjejaskan imej negara pada peringkat antarabangsa.
“Selepas diberi peringatan, kita akan beri tempoh untuk memperbaiki kelemahan atau bertindak dengan membatalkan lesen,” katanya selepas berdialog dengan pelajar, pensyarah politeknik dan kolej komuniti serta wakil industri di sini, semalam.
Mustapa berkata, selepas mengaudit 182 IPTS di seluruh negara sejak April lalu, ada institusi yang baik dan boleh dikategorikan Gred A kerana kualiti pensyarah, kurikulum dan kemudahan fizikal yang baik tetapi jumlahnya kecil.
Segelintir lagi IPTS, katanya, masih cuba menipu masyarakat kerana kualiti pensyarah dan kurikulum yang tidak mencapai piawaian yang ditetapkan kementerian itu.
Laporan bertajuk “Top Quality Education from Colleges” dalam akhbar The Star (20 September 2006) pula berbunyi begini:
SEPANG: Students and parents can rest assured that they will receive value-for-money higher education from private institutions, when the Higher Education Ministry finishes grading them by early next year.
Its Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said these private higher learning institutions (IPTS) would be graded into three categories – A, B or C– as a measure of the quality of education they provided.
“There are quite a few of these colleges that are in the Grade A category and making the country proud,” Mustapa told reporters after attending a dialogue between the ministry’s Polytechnic and Community College Department and the industry.
Among the criteria used to grade these colleges are location, facilities and quality of lecturers.
Private institutions that fall under Grade C category will receive a warning of a possible revoking of their licence unless they improved on their “poor” areas.
First proposed in 2001, the grading system for IPTS was aimed at keeping errant colleges in check and empowering parents and students, when they shopped for colleges.
Mustapa, who said the number of errant colleges was small, added that tough action would be taken against the “black sheep.”
“We will not tolerate cheats as they are giving Malaysian higher education a bad name,” he added.
Mustapa said the audit also addressed complaints made against IPTS in the country, to ensure they complied with the law and to collect up-to-date online data on them.
Tentu sahaja saya mengulas berita berkenaan dengan turut memberi amaran dan peringatan kepada mana-mana IPTS yang tidak patuh pada garis panduan dan kriteria yang ditetapkan kementerian dan LAN.
