MSU vs SMU ?

Singapore Management University is a very famous institution in Singapore. It is little known among Malaysians though.

I remember hearing from a buddy of mine that when he was in Hong Kong, he met two SMU graduates who works at the Hong Kong Exchange as a floor trader. According to my Singaporean friend, SMU is very popular among Singaporeans these days.

Yes, NTU and NUS are the best in the region but SMU is not far off too. SMU graduates are in demand globally and the quality of their graduates are of high qualities and productivities.

Now, given the successful model of SMU which is located at Orchard Road, Malaysia surely has to respond right? The Malaysia - Singapore feud will never end. We fight over sovereign rights, island, contracts, labour, water, sand, education, governance and the list goes on and on!

I arrived on 22nd June 2008 at 3am in KLIA. After going past immigration and collection of baggage, we headed off to Holiday Villa Subang Jaya. Parents booked a room there for a night on 21st June. We arrived at around 4.30am, 22nd June, Monday morning. They were tired and went off to bed. I took a shower, went online while eating buns, drinking gallons of water and flipping through the complimentary NST.

I came across an advertisement of MSU. Management and Science University. Hmm. Is that an answer to SMU? Perhaps not. I am beginning to be worried about the growing amount of colleges, university colleges and universities in Malaysia. Do we need so many higher education institutions? It is the quality and not the quantity that matters.

The Government of Australia pumps in fundings to the Australian National University. The researches and quality of education there have rocketed ANU into the 16th place in the world rankings for university institutions. Malaysia should perhaps follow suit and give complete support to University Malaya!