Malaysia Going Down the Math & Science Longkang

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Over the course of the next week, we will be carrying/ publishing several articles on the TIMMS findings. In the meantime, do pore over the results presented in neat infographic form, and Merry Christmas! 

Back From The Dead, With A New Member

Greetings fellow concerned citizens!

You're probably quite surprised reading this post ( and hopefully we still have a readership) after such a long hiatus. As it is, John Lee has been quite occupied with his writings, Tony has been equally busy with his work in DAP, and of course our dear Kian Ming also has his hands full, zipping around in his newly found role as Election Coordinator in the DAP.

And so, here I am. 

Who?

Yup, that's me. 

Well, my name is Ong Kar Jin. Some people call me KJ for short, but especially for socio-politically related matters it isn't the best set of initials to have! (And I imagine you must know why!) 

Anyway, to keep it short I'm a student doing the International Baccalaureate, and possibly heading to the USA next year ( I have an offer from Yale College). I have written for as well as worked with activists from Loyarburok and UndiMsia,  and I was also an intern and still contributing writer at REFSA, which some of you may know as the independent think tank that has done much to take on the role of watchdog regarding PEMANDU's reports. I have various articles that have been published in news sites ranging from MalaysiaKini to the Malaysian Insider. You can read all my published work, as well as some creative writing plus food reviews at my personal blog, Durian Democracy.

I'm hoping to liven up this blog quite a bit, after all, as a student I have less work obligations than my fellow bloggers here. I'll also be taking a more conversational, personal style of writing, and I hope that my views as someone who is still a student will prove to be up to par. Overall, perhaps what I'm trying to say is this: It's time to bring back Education in Malaysia back to life.

Tune in over the next few days for some updates regarding Malaysia's declining Math and Science performance in the recent TIMMS study! Also, what would you like us to cover more? Comments, suggestions, opinions are all welcome!

Grassroots initiatives in the academy

There are two initiatives I'd like to draw attention to today. The first is Scientific Malaysian, an independent attempt to connect Malaysians interested in science and to raise the profile of the Malaysian scientific community. It's an interesting initiative, so definitely check it out.

The other is a survey by a Malaysian undergraduate studying at the University of Michigan in the US. Jian Wei is trying to understand whether there is a relation between emotional attachment to one's country and one's desire to participate in its national affairs. Finding good data is a challenge for social scientists everywhere, so if you can give Jian Wei your dua sen, I'm sure he'd appreciate it.