tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post115375059896718217..comments2024-03-21T20:10:28.943+08:00Comments on EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA: Ethnic Relations Course : An Alternative ProposalUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1154381494815703232006-08-01T05:31:00.000+08:002006-08-01T05:31:00.000+08:00What is the most surprising about all this is? The...What is the most surprising about all this is? The country is now trying to raise its competitiveness via innovation and entreprenuership rather than just growth by foreign investment and input-driven and yet it believes that its old system of surpressing intellectual discourse and truth still does not matter.<BR/><BR/>If we want to copy Singapore that grow via foreign investment and efficiency gains than there probably is room to just continue to surpress our students and young population freedom to think. However Singapore has shown and what the western world, particularly US and Europe has always believed, that freedom to think and intellectual discourse is the foundation of thousands of ideas that entreprenurship and innovations springs from. <BR/><BR/>Singapore already realize that the biggest danger to its pouring billions into investment research is its surpression of freedom and individuality. All of those money could come to waste if there is no diversity of ideas and honest open discourse.<BR/><BR/>Southern Johor being a Shenzhen/Hongkong? More like New Jersey before the 1980s.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1154048321304361202006-07-28T08:58:00.000+08:002006-07-28T08:58:00.000+08:00Minister of Higher Education Ill Advised: Peers in...Minister of Higher Education Ill Advised: Peers in Parliment No Better (Hansard 18 July 2006, p. 94 - 111)<BR/><BR/>The original position of the Minister should have stand, namely, the academic freedom of historical representation and analysis, even very bad ones should be subjected to proper rebuttals in the academia. Instead, the Minister decided to defend the lexicon and finer points of the written word. While there is basis to the contention, the downside is that the MHE got involved and took sides in the academic points of dispute, which was unnecessary.<BR/><BR/>First of all, the publication was a compilation of papers. There are good and bad papers, papers that contradict each other on some positions, and differences in the level of analysis and comprehensiveness. At the end of the day, the academicians should not yield their domain to politics or politicians. Of course, the extent to which the calibre of our academicians to defend their own reputation may be in doubt, but in the academia, individuals have to be responsible for their own body of work. <BR/><BR/>Gloss-overs or make-overs or outright errors, being in the printed word makes it possible to catch lazy academians with their pants down or their zippers open. This is why publishing is part of the scholastic yardstick. It doesn't mean that something is printed and bound and called a book carries with it automatic authority. It is meant for dissemination, consumption and discussion among the academicians so that positions are staked out based on written work, not hearsay or timely speeches.<BR/><BR/>Naturally, the common man on the street is intimidated by anything in print. Unfortunately, many many stupid things have been written by many proclaimed academicians, preserved in posterity for the analysis of succeeding generations. Nobody gets everything right, not even Einstein, and no academic work escapes criticism. Lazy work, however, makes it easy for the critics.<BR/><BR/>The point being that the problem of academic integrity and quality remain. The solutions to the UPM guidebook episode has helped to foster no improvement in either, and therefore remained a hollow exercise of political intervention and intimidation of errant academics, nothing more and nothing less. A society ruled by timely edicts and mandates from the upper echeleons encourage the surrender of thinking individuals. <BR/><BR/>When human rationality and reason fails, the shame is shared by us all. The black spots in our history is a lesson for Malaysians, who cannot evade responsibility simply by sharing or spreading the blame. Common sense failed to prevail and all of us owe the victims an apology, and amends must be made. Understanding the tip-over points that has contributed to the violence is an exercise in forgiveness, not further prosecution by extending inter-communal blame. <BR/><BR/>We can still see the same threats being repeated, reason and civility abandoned with the excuse of breached sensitivities. We still see Malaysians who threaten the use violence instead of dialogue; hidden and not so hidden threats of physical conflict are accepted as part of the game, and; mob-like behaviour is entirely permissible with the slightest provocation.<BR/><BR/>Welcome to Malaysia. When we cannot reason, sulking is not the option - acting out like a child is.<BR/><BR/>A Cygnet Shin<BR/><BR/><BR/>Further references<BR/><BR/>http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Saturday/National/20060722075301/Article/local1_html<BR/><BR/>http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/7/28/nation/14977717&sec=nationAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1154046802441411622006-07-28T08:33:00.000+08:002006-07-28T08:33:00.000+08:00I believe that the problem is that students not en...I believe that the problem is that students not encouraged to be skeptical (which is also a problem in Singapore, by the way).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1153825189526842302006-07-25T18:59:00.000+08:002006-07-25T18:59:00.000+08:00text book? may be reference book and not text book...text book? may be reference book and not text book. a lot of different between reference book and text book.<BR/><BR/><BR/>only my 2 centsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1153798825106292082006-07-25T11:40:00.000+08:002006-07-25T11:40:00.000+08:00The author of the said "textbook" must be damned l...The author of the said "textbook" must be damned lucky to monopolise the market.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1153795632081492652006-07-25T10:47:00.000+08:002006-07-25T10:47:00.000+08:00The answer is not ONE TEXTBOOK but MANY GUIDE BOOK...The answer is not ONE TEXTBOOK but MANY GUIDE BOOKS<BR/><BR/>Makes me wonder when a book is not a book....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1153793856740421672006-07-25T10:17:00.000+08:002006-07-25T10:17:00.000+08:00What we could have is one "textbook" as the main r...What we could have is one "textbook" as the main reference. This is done in all universities and main reading. However students should also be given a list of reference journals and recommended reading materials that they should source on their own. <BR/><BR/>That is University.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1153790917649983972006-07-25T09:28:00.000+08:002006-07-25T09:28:00.000+08:00Sometimes we are too quick at pointing the finger ...Sometimes we are too quick at pointing the finger to students (eg, unable to cope lah, only know how to memorize lah, etc), when the problem may be the university lecturers, many of whom are not used to reading, let alone analyzing, many articles of diverse opinions and are only capable of teaching by plagiarizing other people's lecture notes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1153788252333617582006-07-25T08:44:00.000+08:002006-07-25T08:44:00.000+08:00If you have many perspective, we gonna have "probl...If you have many perspective, we gonna have "problems" in marking mah? No "sample answers" to follow mah! Headache for examiners and lecturers...How to explain the various scenarios..? Since there's no right or wrong how to award marks? I don't think many of our examiners are up to mark to examine/ critic the various scenarios/views.<BR/><BR/>In M'sia, we only have one view and perspective..the Govt's current official view only; which also changes according to who heads the Govt.clkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08700265260371403083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1153786371714812262006-07-25T08:12:00.000+08:002006-07-25T08:12:00.000+08:00the problem here is the local universities are deg...the problem here is the local universities are degree-mills. it's easier to use a one-size-fits-all approach than to teach these undergrads critical thinking, which thru your example is by having students to actually research on the topic at hand instead of memorising a single textbook. the fact of the matter, and the reason why our education system is in such dire straits, is because of how we view at education in the first place. degree-level education has fallen to the level of a compulsory high-school cert, by which, i mean to say that its become so common and almost mandatory. our public universities are simply unprepared. so somethings got to give, in this case, academic standards. im just so disappointed at how things are going, most of time i dont even bother wanting to know anymore.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com