Abolition of AUKU: Public Universities Should Be Given Autonomous Power to Appoint Top Leadership

KUALA LUMPUR: Public universities in this country should be given autonomous power to appoint their own top leadership without any external interference.

Former Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Vice-Chancellor, Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Anuwar Ali, said that currently external interference does exist in the appointment of positions at public universities, including Vice-Chancellors and Chairmen of the University Board of Directors (LPU).

He said, the abolition of the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (AUKU) needs to be replaced with a better new governance system, to ensure that the appointment of public university leadership is made based on capability and authority.

“Currently, the appointment of top leadership is under the minister’s jurisdiction. Although there are clear criteria and structures, sometimes they are set aside to make way for individuals who have no experience in university administration.

“Malaysia could follow the example of Indonesia, where several universities in that country have been given autonomous power to appoint their own Vice-Chancellors.

“Rectors are not directly appointed by the government, but are selected through a process carried out by the university through a board that has a function similar to the LPU,” he told BH, yesterday.

Anuwar explained, in the appointment process, the panel of assessors consists of Indonesian academic representatives, ministry representatives and external panel members, while university professors are also given the opportunity to submit questions to candidates.

“After the evaluation process is completed, the best candidate is identified and the university board submits the name to the minister for approval.

“If the minister agrees, the appointment can proceed. If not, the university needs to re-evaluate the candidate,” he said.

Anuwar said, he himself was involved in the appointment process of a rector at an Indonesian university last year, which saw nine candidates identified before undergoing a three-day interview session.

He said, this approach could be considered by Malaysia to ensure the university leadership selection process is more open and capable of identifying truly quality candidates.

“Such a selection process is important because it is not necessarily the most qualified academic who will come forward or offer themselves to hold a leadership position.

“Instead, individuals who have ambitions to hold a certain position may be more active in promoting themselves or lobbying.

“That is why the selection process needs to be able to identify individuals who are truly qualified and have the ability to lead a university, not merely those who promote themselves,” he said.

Focus on governance aspects

Anuwar said, the proposal to abolish AUKU announced by Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently, is seen as more focused on granting freedom to students.

However, he said, the governance aspect of universities needs to be given attention as it also involves the management and direction of higher education institutions.

“The new system needs to ensure that individuals appointed as Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Chairman and members of the LPU truly have the ability to lead and bring the university to a more excellent level.

“If we want to achieve high management quality, this matter needs to be examined. We cannot appoint just anyone.

“They must be individuals who are authoritative, respected by the community and have the ability to bring public universities to a more excellent level,” he said.

Elaborating further, he said, the public’s perception of university leadership is important to ensure that the appointed individuals are truly capable of driving the institution.

“So far, there is still no detailed explanation regarding the system that will replace AUKU.

“However, I believe the Ministry of Higher Education is studying a better governance mechanism,” he said.

When asked about student freedom after AUKU is abolished, he said the abolition of the act does not mean that students will be given unlimited freedom because there are still other laws that can be used to maintain peace and order.

Berita Harian