The forced resignation of Edmund Terence Gomez from Malaysia's most prestigious university, Universiti Malaya, illustrates a continued decay in the standards and practices of higher education. Despite the impressive investment in education through the 1990s, professional standards have dropped to a level that respected scholars and quality teachers are being pushed...

By Paul Wiseman, USA TODAY KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — In a remote village that locals call the Sky Kingdom, Malaysian villagers revere a giant teapot and follow the teachings of an illiterate 61-year-old man who claims to be the reincarnation of holy figures from the world's major religions. Kampung Batu 13 village...