Where did we find these people? Honestly.

Uncle Khaled Nordin went on the record yesterday saying that his priority at the new office (Ministry of Higher Education) is to produce employable graduates. Proceeding in that vein, he proposes that universities cut courses that are "irrelevant" and "not needed in the job market". This, of course, will effect the ranking of local universities, since fewer faculties and courses translates into universities of the kurang menarik variety.

Quoth he:

"What is the use of ranking if graduates face difficulty finding jobs after completing their studies?" [Link]

Sigh!

1. Graduates can't find jobs because Malaysia's economy is too pathetic to support them, not because they leave university with no skills. Those that can move out, move out (e.g. graphic designers, animators, clowns, children's books illustrators, musicians, architects, doctors, lawyers, bankers, human resource consultants -- these are the professions of real-life Malaysians that I know who are doing spectacularly well in booming economies like New York and London).

As for the ones that stay behind, depending on how you look at it -- you can say they are either very lucky or decidedly unlucky.

2. Universities are lucrative businesses, and in this sense should be treated no differently from car-making or palm oil-growing. They need help to attract first class teachers and research students from Europe and America, places that are really happening. This is why ranking is so important.

3. Every time I open the paper, I get a heart attack. Because somewhere in there I will come across at least one person in a leadership position who demonstrates a lack of basic economic sense. With the lives of 27-28 million people at stake, that's really scary. Really, really scary.