By Siti Solehah
GOMBAK, 28 December 2022: Education is valuable as it teaches people how to organise their lives. Educate yourself because at the end of the day, it all comes down to learning how to live a quality life.
IIUM Rector, Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, said this in The Art of Life: Embrace the Possibility IIUMTV series entitled, History and Experiences: A Meaningful Insight.
The Rector asserted that with what is happening in the world, particularly with the onset of COVID-19, the long-established concept of education must be restructured.
Education entails more than learning in a classroom or taking courses that are strictly relevant to the industry’s current demands, it also encompasses how education is used to benefit humanity.
Noting that education has been available since the days of Socrates and Plato, he emphasised that education is not confined to schools but is accessible everywhere and anytime.
“Wherever you are, there’s always room for improvement, there is always time to learn and educate yourself, that is education in the true sense,” he said.
The Rector also stated that the notion of university ranking is utterly pointless and asserted that the concept of ranking evokes commercial interest, which will interfere with the desire to create a unique and different university.
He also cited Ivy League universities, Harvard and Yale, which both reject the premise of ranking, labelling the ranking system as methodologically incorrect.
“I believe that if we want to rank, many of the things that the IIUM desires to do will be neutralized, as you have to compete with other universities under the same category, and it is too much to bear. Instead, we make ourselves known in a different way, demonstrating we are able to do better without resorting to ranking,” he explained.
For those interested to watch the show, you may watch it here.***