M'sia's public universities among top 1% in the world

SUNGAI BULOH: Malaysia's public universities are ranked among the top 1% in the world according to QS World University Rankings, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said today.
Last year, Universiti Malaya (UM) achieved a global position of 151 from more than 30,000 universities in the world and Idris said the government will continue to strive for improvements.
"It has been internationally recognised that our research universities are among the top 1% in the world, but we will continue to improve our higher education institutes so we can be among the top 100," he said during his speech at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sungai Buloh campus.
Other Malaysian universities that made it into the top 1% (top 300 in rankings) were Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) at 259 and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) at 294.
Idris said the government will continue to develop the necessary infrastructure for higher learning institutions as students can only be given a wholesome education with the proper facilities.
He said it is hoped that UiTM's Dentistry Faculty can become a centre of excellence in dentistry services and research by producing professional graduates who can compete globally.
"I am confident that this faculty is fully ready to produce competent, professional, moral, and ethical bumiputera dentists and scientists that are well-respected in society," Idris said.
Idris was present to attend a handover ceremony of the just completed UiTM Dentistry Faculty, the largest dental school in the country, from the Works Ministry to the Higher Education Ministry.
It was initially estimated that the faculty will cost about RM94.44 million but contractor Perkasa Sutera Sdn Bhd managed to complete the project with only RM73.84 million.
UiTM vice-chancellor and president Tan Sri Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar said the faculty consists of one 10-storey dentistry faculty block plus an auditorium and an eight-storey student and staff dormitory block.
Sahol Hamid said it can admit 400 to 500 patients a day and is equipped with state of the art dentistry equipment, including Malaysia's first dentistry equipment sterilisation centre.
He added that it has the potential to become the biggest dentistry training facility in the country but it will depend on how well the faculty performs in the future.