The recent announcement of the 2012 Malaysia budget didn't give any exciting news in R&D as well as HE.
The fact that there were not Malaysian universities in the top400 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings implies that we are still far behind to become an excellent education hub in our SEA regions and a lot of efforts are required to ensure we can compete with other countries. (http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2011/10/9/education/9632143&sec=education)
Sadly, the government didn't show commitment & courage to improve HE & R&D by looking at the budget allocation.
The press statement issued by the Russell group (established by a group of research intensive universities) shows how importance the investment in research and higher education are. An excerpt of the press statement is as follows:-
(source: Russell Group: News and Policy Statements - 2011 - 'We can't rest on our laurels' - latest university rankings
http://russellgroup.ac.uk/russell-group-latest-news/137-2011/5033-we-cant-rest-on-our-laurels--latest-university-rankings-/)
Dr Wendy Piatt, Director General of The Russell Group of universities said:
“League tables have real limitations but on most indicators the UK ranks second only to the USA in the number of world-class universities. Our leading universities offer a bigger bang for the buck than most of our competitors and punch well above their weight when you look at performance relative to expenditure."
“But we certainly can’t rest on our laurels. Our global competitors are pumping billions into higher education and snapping at our heels. “Money really matters. While developed countries on average invest one per cent of GDP on higher education, the UK invests just 0.6% of public funding in HE, one of the lowest levels in the OECD. Even when fees and private research funding is included, we are outpaced by the US, Australia, Canada, Korea and Japan. Just last week, France boosted its higher education budget for 2012 by 2.5% at the same time as slashing spending in other areas; the UK cannot afford to be outmanoeuvred by our global competitors who clearly recognize that investment in research and higher education is key to growth. "
“If we are to remain a global leader in higher education – and continue to reap the economic and social benefits that follow – the UK Government must concentrate investment where it will have the most impact: in our world-class research-intensive universities."
