Kuala Lampur, June 25 -- Malaysia likes good news about university rankings. Each year, when our universities climb in global tables, the achievement is celebrated as proof that Malaysian higher education is becoming more competitive, international and research driven. There is reason to take pride in this. Rankings matter because they shape reputation, student mobility, research partnerships and public confidence.

But rankings also have limits. They tell us far less about whether a university is intellectually free.

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, Universiti Malaya (UM) rose to 56th globally, its highest position ever, while five Malaysian universities entered the global top 200. Akademi Profesor Malaysia (APM) welcomed this ...