Some Malaysian universities, having caught this fever, continue to host such centres. Neither excellence nor world-class has come their way.
The rise and rapid fall of the bell curve that attempted to measure human performance is one example. But that is a Leader for another time. Disturbingly, modern education does not do this well, if it does it at all. To a large extent, our universities send us out of the campus gates with an incomplete education. And an unbalanced one at that.
Even Covid-19 can be traced to an unbalanced education that pays no heed to other life forms. A tutored heart would know better to leave wildlife in the wild. Not wanting to be outdone, public universities, with reduced funds, are running the rat race, too, through league tables. Top 10, Top 50, Top 100 and what have you are beginning to read like pop charts, only that these are not music to the ears.