Malaysia Joins Efforts To Reinvigorate Science In Muslim World

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 (Bernama) -- An international task force has been set up to bring reforms at universities for the scientific revival of the Muslim world. The task force will set up and manage NEXUS, a Network of Excellence of Universities for Science, with the help of administrators. It will monitor the progress of reforms at participating universities and issue a peer report card to inspire further improvements. Chairman of the task force Prof Zakri Abdul Hamid told an international forum here Monday that "tough" reforms were needed considering the bad situation. Prof Zakri, who is Science Advisor to the Prime Minister, said the Muslim world represented 25 per cent of the global population but contributed only six per cent of the world's academic publications, 1.6 per cent of the world's patents and 2.4 per cent of the international research expenditure. He said the countries that constitute the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation lag behind in the scientific world and part of the cause is a lack of mastery of modern knowledge, particularly science and technology. Prof Zakri was launching the report on the 'State of Science at Universities of the Muslim World' at the one-day open forum attended by key stakeholders in Malaysian education and the Oxford busines group. It was hosted by MIGHT, the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology. The Convenor of the Task Force on Science at Universities in the Muslim World is American University of Sharjah Professor Nidhal Guessoum. The Co-Convenor is MIGHT President and Chief Executive Officer Dr Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman. Zakri said the situation seemed to be worsening as students in the Muslim world who participated in standardised international science tests lag well behind their counterparts worldwide. "Even more problematic is that the university science programmes are using narrow content and outdated teaching methods," he added. The task force, supported by the Islamic World Academy of Sciences and the Akademi Sains Malaysia, aimed at "catalysing a dialogue, discourse and subsequent policy actions on issues of critical importance at the intersection of science, society and Islam," Prof Zakri said. He said the initiative to raise the profile of science and technology was in line with the country's aspiration to be a developed nation by 2020. He urged universities across the Muslim world to join NEXUS, which is expected to be launched early next year. Guests at the forum included founder of the Muslim World Science Initiative and task force project director Dr Athar Osama and Chairman of International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre Lee Cheong, who is also a task force member. -- BERNAMA