Political Policy of Singapore’s World Class University

What Islamic Higher Education In Indonesia Can Learn

Ahmad Ali Nurdin, Tedi Priatna, Yusuf Azazy, and Supiana Supiana

UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung, Jl. A.H. Nasution 105, Bandung, Indonesia

ali.nurdin@uinsgd.ac.id

Keywords: Singapore, Policy, World Class University, Islamic Higher Education.

Abstract: This paper aims to mainly explore challenges faced by Singapore government in creating a global-competitive

university called ‘a world class university’. By taking political policy of education implemented in National

University of Singapore (NUS), this paper shows that several strategis have been implemented by Singapore

government to make NUS as a globally oriented university. Recruitment of highly qualified lecturers and

talented students, well autonomous and funding supports as well as well equipped facilities of teaching and

research are among the main strategies of Singapore government and NUS to make the university as a world

classs university. This study is a qualitative approach with a case study method. To collect the data, this

research reviews documents and literatures related to Singapore policy on education as well as NUS annual

reports and also make personal interviews with students and lecturers of NUS to strengthen the argument and

to confirm literatures’ findings.The result shows that Islamic Higher Education in Indonesia could follow the

same steps to make their educational instutions are globally recognized.

1 INTRODUCTION

In the higher education system, the world class

university plays an important role in training the

professionals, scientists, researchers needed to

support the national innovation system. It is in this

context that many countries and governments are

emphasizing priorities to ensure that top universities

in their countries can actually create scientific

progress. Jamil Salmi (2009) refers to the

characteristics of a world class university as a

university that has a world-class research reputation

and has primary responsibility in developing new

science especially innovations in science and

technology. Globally indeed, higher education has

strategic value when it is associated with economic

development and its contribution to the GDP (Gross

Domestic Product) of a nation.

The main objective of this paper is to examine the

challenges facing by Singapore in building a globally

competitive university, or 'world class university' by

taking the case of 'education politics' policy applied at

the National University of Singapore (NUS) is trying

to answer the following question: what is the 'politics

of education' policy undertaken by the Singapore

government to develop a world-class university?

What significant decisions did NUS make in selecting

students and lecturers? Does NUS have financial

guarantees for the continuity of its faculty research

activities? How far the success of NUS's strategy in

internationalizing its students and faculty? The end of

the questions above is, what lessons can be taken from

what has been done NUS for the development of

universities in Indonesia, especially the colleges of

Islamic Religious College (PTKI) in Indonesia.

To answer the above questions, the method used is

a qualitative approach with case studies. The data

collection technique of this research is by reviewing

the documents and literature related to the education

policy of Singapore along with the NUS annual report

and personal interviews with some lecturers and

students to confirm the findings of the literature.

2 DEFINE 'UNIVERSITY WORLD

CLASS'

In this decade, world class university terminology has

become a phrase that attracts a lot of attention (Albath

2003; Li 2012; Simmons, 2003). This is because

becoming a world-class university is not just about

improving the quality of learning and research in

universities but also more importantly is developing

Nurdin, A., Priatna, T., Azazy, Y. and Supiana, S.

Political Policy of Singapore’s World Class University - What Islamic Higher Education In Indonesia Can Learn.

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Sociology Education (ICSE 2017) - Volume 1, pages 49-53

ISBN: 978-989-758-316-2

the capacity to compete in the global market of

education. It's just that the paradox as mentioned by

Altbach (2007) that everyone wants a world-class

university, but no one knows what kind of creature it

is and how to achieve it. To be a member of one of the

world's exclusive university groups is not something

that can be achieved simply by declaring yourself.

However, the university status of the world is an elite

status labeled by the international recognition out

there.

At least some of the characteristics of a university

are said to be world-class as qualified professors and

professors, have distinctive features in research,

guaranteed teaching quality, high government

participation and non-governmental institutions as

financial resources, have high-talented students

including international students, have academic

freedom , university structure with high autonomy,

excellent facilities in terms of teaching, research,

administration and student life facilities on campus

(Niland, 2000, Salmi 2009).

3 SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT

SUPPORT THROUGH THE

POLITICAL POLICY

Beginning in the 1970s intensive strategy has been

undertaken by the Singapore government by making

the university as a tool to achieve the technological

progress of a nation. Therefore, since 1962, quality

teaching and research have been the focus and priority

of NUS, and since the 1980s NUS has made excellent

research the university's primary mission.

NUS implemented an educational development

policy based on a meritocracy system and prepared

alumni who could develop Singapore's economic

growth (Ramakrishna, 2012). As Singapore's

economy continues to increase and change within a

few years from manufacturing activity to science-

based economic activity, NUS's role has become more

significant especially its focus on research since the

late 1980s and the commercialization of technology

since the 2000s. Furthermore, NUS's mission is also

wider than just a local higher education that prepares

the workers to become a global-oriented university,

competes to become the best faculty and seeks

talented students from different parts of the world, and

strives to become a beneficial university and have

positive implications for the world through the

development of science (Seah, 1983). To support

NUS in that direction, and to enable NUS to transform

Singapore's economy, the Ministry of Education of

Singapore made NUS a corporate university in the

mid-2000s.

The granting of greater autonomy in 2006 by

making NUS a corporate institution enabled NUS to

accelerate organizational transformation to better

address the challenges of global competition (Wong,

2007). The granting of greater autonomy to NUS also

allows the university to respond to new and more

proactive opportunities in responding to market

demands. NUS can respond and develop it quickly.

For example, NUS responds to market demands by

opening new, interdisciplinary majors such as

nanotechnology and digital interactive media. To

support a more varied educational approach, NUS

opened a new medical school (in collaboration with

Duke University of America) by taking an educational

model in post-American model, without eliminating

British-style medical education models at the

undergraduate level (Mukherjee, H., and Wong, P K,

2011).

In addition to government policies that make NUS

a corporation, the Singapore government at the

beginning of NUS, implemented a policy on language

use in educational institutions. In addition to

maintaining local languages in schools in Singapore,

Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in early independence

paid special attention to English as a medium of

instruction that could connect the people of Singapore

consisting of various ethnic backgrounds with the

world economy. The number of language lessons at

the middle school level, and making English as the

language of instruction, is able to prepare candidates

for students and NUS graduates who are ready to

compete at the world level.

In addition to language policy, Singapore's

government finance policy also supports NUS's

reaching its goal of becoming a world-class

university. One of the characteristics of a world-class

campus is having a stable and large financial support.

The Singapore government's commitment to support

education in the country is great. Since 1962, the

government has allocated three percent of the

country's GDP for education -the financial proportion

for university-level education has risen from 10.8

percent to 19.8 percent between 1962 and 2007 and

has continued to increase until now (Mukherjee, H.

and Wong, PK, 2011).

The government support is that makes NUS get the

rank in the world-class university. Between 2004 and

2009, according to Times Higher Education

University Ranking (THE-QS 2008, 2009) NUS was

among the top 20 universities in the world (2004,

2005 and 2006), and ranked 30th in the world in 2008

and 2009 and last year 2015 NUS is ranked 12th in the

ICSE 2017 - 2nd International Conference on Sociology Education

world and the number one university in Asia. In terms

of absorption of alumni in the world of work, NUS

also managed to occupy the order of seventeen in the

world.

4 EXCELLENT STUDENTS AND

LECTURERS

Among the significant factors for a world class

university is the state of input of students and

lecturers. The world-class research university is

known for its selective university in accepting

students and lecturers both locally and internationally.

NUS is well known for its highly selective policies in

accepting students both locally and internationally.

Meritocracy system is really applied, not only in

selecting prospective students but also prospective

lecturers.

The NUS tradition of accepting undergraduate

students is those who have graduated from high

school with a special exam (in Singapore known as A-

level examination result). Although the entry

requirements of each department and faculty differ

depending on the popularity of the majors, but

certainly the trend of NUS entry competition

continues to increase from year to year, especially in

high-demand majors such as medicine, law and

business.

Several innovation programs were also introduced

by NUS to introduce students to the practical world of

industry, involvement in international research and

socialization. In 1999, the NUS curriculum adopted

the Harvard University curriculum model.

International exchange program cooperation is also

well planned by NUS. NUS cooperates with the

world's top universities such as the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of

Pennsylvania, Stanford University, the Royal Institute

of Technology Stokholm and the Australian National

University (Mukherjee, H., and Wong, P. K., 2011).

In addition to international cooperation programs,

NUS issued a program to attract talented students

from abroad to study at NUS. NUS provides a large

scholarship for talented students from abroad. So is

the talented lecturers from reputable universities

abroad to teach permanent lecturers in Singapore with

high salary offerings. With the goal of making NUS a

world-class competitive university, NUS continues to

develop the way of recruitment of qualified lecturers

with very high salary compensation. Therefore, since

the 1990s, NUS has issued a policy related to the

strategy of attracting and maintaining the

internationally acclaimed talented lecturers 'at home'

teaching in NUS.

5 LESSONS FOR PTKI IN

INDONESIA

Of course what is disclosed above is only part of the

process and policies undertaken by NUS in achieving

the achievement of a world-class university. There are

still many other aspects that have not been presented

and photographed in this short article about how NUS

can be perched in 12 world in 2015. It's just that there

are some notes that can be learned and applied in

Indonesia, especially in the campuses of Islamic

Religious Higher Education (PTKI), which led to

world-class Islamic universities.

The first lesson is to realize the world-class PTKI

cannot be done by campus institutions themselves

without the support of various parties, especially the

government. Singapore government policy that views

Human Resources as the most important asset in

nation's economic development needs to be

replicated.

Singapore government policy to make English as

the language of instruction in teaching and learning in

NUS as a step towards the university world needs to

be imitated by PTKI. If the government has not issued

the policy, the campus in each PTKI may be able to

make the first step to make English or Arabic as the

language of instruction by making a special class

flagship with the introduction of both languages.

Second, just as the Singapore government

encourages funding for campuses, the Indonesian

government has also been quite supportive in terms of

funding with a twenty percent education fund from the

State Budget (APBN). If the funding given by the

government is not maximized, it is the duty of the

campus officials and other stakeholders to actively

participate in obtaining funds outside government

funds to support the campus activities.

Third, NUS experience shows that in terms of

cooperation with the international campus, they have

a mature plan and strategy. They chose cooperation

with internationally reputable campuses such as the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the

University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, the

Royal Institute of Technology Stokholm, the Fudan

University of Shanghai and the Australian National

University. Apparently, PTKI need to follow the steps

taken NUS in cooperation. In this case, PTKI

campuses are good enough in exploring cooperation

with outside campuses. It’s just how to improve the

cooperation so that not only limited to Memorandum

Political Policy of Singapore’s World Class University - What Islamic Higher Education In Indonesia Can Learn

of Understanding (MoU) on paper without follow-up

to conduct activities both exchange students and

lecturers. It is needed to start exploring the

cooperation of exchange of faculty and students with

universities of the world.

Fourth, among the criteria to become a world

university recognized by the international community

is the result of research conducted by the lecturers. In

this case, PTKI campuses through research center

institutions under each LP2M in PTKI campuses need

to review the research funding scheme for lecturers. It

is important to consider that research funding is only

assumed to be an annual 'share of livelihood' for

lecturers so that it is considered less competitive.

Research funding schemes with very small nominal

individual research financing need to be reviewed.

The research incentive is not only in the form of cost

and research funding. Learning to the case in NUS,

they give appreciation to lecturers who have more

skill and high willingness to perform and produce

monumental research results. NUS provides

dispensation to lecturers who diligently research with

less burdened by the overload of teaching loads. In

addition to the lack of teaching load, there is a special

scheme for lecturers to conduct research activities

with sabbatical leave program. Fifth, among the

success of NUS to become a world-class university is

due to the lecturers and students who are talented. It

seems that this can be imitated by PTKI campuses

mainly because enthusiasts enter the PTKI in

Indonesia continue to increase from year to year. A

truly credible and accountable recruitment system for

prospective students should be undertaken by PTKI.

Of the many interest, it is possible for the campus to

recruit prospective students. If NUS makes a

Residential College System program, then in some

PTKI in Indonesia already has a forerunner to the

program through Ma'had Al-Jamiah. The gifted

students are prioritized to stay in the dorm or Ma'had

so they can learn their foreign language skills.

In addition to talented student candidates, NUS

also has internationally reputable lecturers. To

improve the quality of existing lecturers, a well-

designed strategic program is needed to improve the

quality of lecturers. Assessment is required for the

existing lecturers from the Tridharma Perguruan

Tinggi side. If one aspect is lacking then the campus

should facilitate how the lecturers improve the aspect

of the weakness. An institution at the university level

is required to assess and develop the capacity of

lecturers.

6 CONCLUSION

The NUS case above shows that strategic thinking

directed towards national development and economic

progress can be a 'driver' for academic progress that

allows a university to become a world-class

university. NUS's experience in progressive

transformation makes this university a world-class

university worthy of being imitated by countries in

Southeast Asia including Indonesia in general and

religious campuses such as Universitas Islam Negeri

(UIN), Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) and

Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri (STAIN) in

particular. The hope to build a world class Islamic

campus should be supported by all parties. Like NUS

in Singapore, both central and local governments,

university leaders, lecturers, students, administrative

staff and all the academic community of PTKI must

step together and join hands to create that expectation.

If policies, strategic plans, real programs to a world-

class university start from now, it is not impossible

that the hope can be realized in the near future.

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Li, J. 2012. ‘World-class higher education and the emerging

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Mukherjee, H., Wong, P. K. 2011. ‘The National University

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Political Policy of Singapore’s World Class University - What Islamic Higher Education In Indonesia Can Learn