WE have been following with interest The Star’s recent coverage on public and private institutes of higher learning (IHLs) – relevance, effects of budget cuts, etc. – including Monday’s letter from three bright and accomplished USM lecturers, “Public universities still the top choice”.

We would like to share our opinion that often times we tend to pit public and private universities against each other. The reality is that questions such as “which is better, public or private institutions?” or “which one is the way forward?” are irrelevant and largely driven by under-substantiated facts and perceptions.