Dr Wee Ka Siong (BN - Ayer Hitam) questioned the need for public universities to take part in foreign exhibitions that showcased the universities’ findings and new products, such as the Geneva International Exhibition on Inventions, Products and Services.
He said many Malaysian universities submitted entries for such exhibitions where they stand to win gold, silver and bronze medals for their products.
“These awards are not judged by a panel of experts but by the exhibition organisers themselves.
“Hence, it’s no surprise that each year, more than half of the participants receive awards,” he said during the motion of thanks on the Royal Address at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
“I met a professor from a renowned European university while on an overseas trip.
“He laughed and told me that such awards offer no academic merits,” said Dr Wee, adding that most of the products showcased in these exhibitions were from Malaysian universities.
He singled out the Geneva exhibition as a favourite among Malaysian universities.
“We submit the most number of entries each year. In some years, Malaysia had submitted 30% of the total number of entries.
“Last year, about 680 inventions were exhibited. Of these, 152 or 23% were Malaysian exhibits ,” he said.
According to google, the expo is known as Salon International des Inventions, des Techniques et Produits de Geneve, hosted in Geneve Palexpo. How credible is the event? It is difficult to determine at this moment. Will update after my 2 hours tutorial :)
