UNIVERSITI Malaysia Perlis’ (UniMAP) examination paper on ethnic relations was biased and irresponsible, said academics.

Among the questions is one on why controversial Indian preacher Zakir Naik, who is supposedly an icon in the Muslim world, was no longer allowed to preach in Malaysia.

Such a question smacked of indoctrination, the academics said, and demanded an audit of the course and syllabus.

Political scientist Dr Azmil Tayeb of Universiti Sains Malaysia said: “The main objective of the ethnic relations course is to foster understanding and empathy in university students of various ethnic and religious groups in Malaysia.

“That’s why question like this is irresponsible – because it’s divisive and a reflection of the lecturer’s own prejudices.”

The faculty should do a better job at vetting the exam questions to prevent issues like this from cropping up again in the future, he told The Malaysian Insight.

The issue had prompted Prof Zaharom Nain of Nottingham University Malaysia to ask whether UniMAP vetted its exam papers.

“Where’s the quality control?” he asked.

Whoever set the exam questions is a biased ideologue who shouldn’t be teaching the course, he added.

Dr Christopher Chong of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman said the question was one-sided as it did not give students a chance to give a nuanced answer through essay.

“It just gives a window into the examiner’s position in the issue.

“Whatever happened to critical and nuanced thinking that are supposed to be taught in university?”

Prof Wong Chin Huat believed the exam is an attempt to indoctrinate and an indication of the intellectual poverty and political bias of the question setter.

“Students can be tested on controversial issues like Zakir Naik, but legitimate questions can only fall into two categories – one, factual questions to test their knowledge, where multiple choices are valid; and two, analytical questions where students are judged on their ability to present coherent viewpoints, which would be better to answered in essay form and for which no one should be punished for having certain opinions,” he said.

Asking a question on Zakir with all available answers suggesting his detractors are either stupid or prejudiced showed the question setter’s cognitive inability to recognise the validity of viewpoints other than his, Wong told The Malaysian Insight.

“It’s bad to have lecturer in any subject who cannot differentiate between fact and opinion.

“When this happens with a course on ethnic relations, it raises the question of whether it would encourage understanding or bigotry.

“The question is enough grounds for UniMAP to conduct an audit into the course, covering the syllabus, text, teachers and learning experience.”

The Education Ministry’s Higher Education Department is expecting an explanation from UniMAP on the exam paper.

However, the ministry has declined to say it would take action against UniMAP.

This is because autonomy for the university meant that each institution is responsible for its own academic affairs, it said in a statement. – December 31, 2019.