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Thu, Jan 08, 2009
New Straits Times
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'Let academicians focus on research'
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>GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA - Academicians should not be bogged down with administrative work. They should be allowed to concentrate on research. The joint recipient of the 2008 Merdeka Award for health, science and technology, Prof Datuk Dr Khalid Kadir, said other people should be hired to do the administrative tasks.
"Universities should try to separate the two as administrative work will interfere with their development as academicians," he said at a question and answer session after his lecture at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) yesterday.
His lecture, "Hormones, Stress and Metabolism: A 30-year Journey" was the first in the Merdeka Award lecture series hosted by USM and jointly organised by Universiti Teknologi Petronas and Merdeka Award.
Khalid was responding to a question from USM vice-chancellor Tan Sri Prof Dzulkifli Abdul Razak on how universities should be managed.
Khalid also said that young people should not be made heads of department.
He urged that these posts be given to the veterans.
"These young people should be identified and then allowed to develop in their research fields," he said, adding that universities must be research-based.
He said that promotion of academicians must be based on research undertaken, and universities should not merely promote department heads.
Also present at the inaugural lecture were USM board of directors chairman Tan Sri Ani Arope, Universiti Teknologi Petronas rector Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Kassim and Merdeka Award executive director Datuk Khalid Mohd.
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