I want to follow up on Tony's post regarding educational opportunities in Singapore by listing some pros and cons, based on my own experience studying there. I'll be speaking on education at the O and A levels (equivalent to our SPM and STPM) since that's the extent of my exposure to the Singapore education system. I studied in Raffles Institution for my O levels and in Raffles Junior College for my A levels under the ASEAN scholarship program. Tony was my senior by 4 years under the same scholarship program but unfortunately, our paths didn't cross.
I'll start with the pros in this posting and then move on to the cons in my next posting.
Pro 1: Education system entirely in English
Except for your second language (Chinese, Malay, Tamil or if you're daring enough, French, German or Spanish), the education system in Singapore is entirely in English. This provides an excellent opportunity to prepare oneself for an overseas undergraduate education. I thought that my English was pretty decent (by Malaysian standards) before I went to Singapore. But I soon discovered that my writing and reading skills left much to be desired. I found that the standard of English at the secondary school level was surprisingly high. I guess that a large part of this was because of the substandard level of English being taught in Malaysian schools. Many of my ASEAN scholar friends from Chinese schools in Malaysia struggled mightily especially for English and English Literature. I would like to think that my English improved substantially after my Singapore stint although I'm still prone to errors (like 'irregardless'). I don't want to think about how bad it would be if I hadn't go to Singapore.
It wasn't just having to learn the entire syllabus in English but also being forced to read novels such as 'To Kill A Mockingbird' or Shakespeare. I would never have picked up such books had I stayed in Malaysia. My Singapore experience evoked an interest in reading literature beyond Enid Blyton, Sidney Sheldon and Jeffrey Archer.
I was also inspired to order a subscription to the Economist when I was taking an 'S' paper in Economics during my A levels. I've been an avid reader of the Economist for the past 15 years. Again, I don't think that I would have had that kind of motivation had I stayed on in Malaysia.
Pro 2: Excellent facilities
When I first entered Raffles Institution, I thought that I had mistakenly gone to a country club. I studied in La Salle PJ, supposedly one of the better schools in PJ in terms of infrastructure, but RI and LSPJ were worlds apart. RI had just moved to new grounds which included a synthetic track, air-conditioned lecture theatres and clean toilets! Since my departure from RI some 13 years ago, they've added a new hostel, a synthetic hockey pitch, a swimming pool, a second library, 2 basketball courts and they've recently announced a $36 million (Sing dollar) facelift.
The other thing that I found amazing was the level of maintenance in RI. Toilets in Malaysian schools are notorious for being dirty, wet and smelly. Toilets in RI were fantastically clean and seemed never to run out of toilet paper. And it wasn't as if there were an army of cleaners maintaining the place. Perhaps, the propensity to destroy school property wasn't at the same level as that found in Malaysia.
The excellent facilities and amenities can be found in all of the top schools in Singapore (and there are quite a few). Almost all the top schools in Singapore have moved into new buildings in the past 5 to 15 years. ACS, SCGS, RGS, CHS, TKGS are some of the secondary schools which have new buildings. Raffles Junior College recently moved to Bishan, to be located alongside RI. NJC and Hwa Chong Junior College had new buildings in my final years in Singapore. There are literally hundreds of secondary schools which have facilities and amenities that few schools in Malaysia can aspire to. The only schools in Malaysia which have comparable facilities are private schools - Garden International or ISKL.
Pro 3: High level of competition
I went from being a top 10 student in my whole form in LSPJ to the middle of the pack in my class in RI. My class was half Malaysian, half Singaporean. All the Malaysians were ASEAN scholars, supposedly the best brains picked from Malaysia. And because classes were streamed, the Singaporeans in my class were supposed to be among the best students (in the Express stream) in that cohort.
It was a bit of a culture shock to go from being one of the top dogs (academically speaking) to being one of the chasers in the pack. It was a humbling experience indeed but one that was necessary. I have never been as intimidated as I was in that class in RI and I have never since been as intimated in subsequent academic settings including at LSE, Cambridge and now at Duke.
The level of competition continued to be high in Raffles Junior College, where I did my A levels. To put things in perspective, I took 4 A level subjects and 1 S level subject and got A's in all of them plus another A in GP (General Paper) giving me a total of 6As. I was placed at around 100 out of a class of approximately 800 students. The top scorer in my cohort had 9 As - 4 A level papers, 3 S level papers and GP and 2nd language. 50% of my cohort had 3As or more. By comparison, most students in Malaysian A level institutions would be content with taking 3 A level papers. I probably would have placed in the top 5 or 10 in an A level program like Sunway or Taylors.
In a competitive setting like the one in Singapore, you really have to work your butt off to even be on sparring terms with the best. In Malaysia, one would be pretty happy to end up in Cambridge or Oxford but in RJ, you stood out only if you got into the top schools in the US - Harvard, MIT, Caltech, Princeton, Yale, Stanford (By comparison, Duke is relatively easy to get into). I have said before and I will continue to say, if you can make it through the competitive pressures in a top school in Singapore, you will be able to excel in any of the top universities in the world. I'm not sure if I can say the same about Malaysian schools.
I'm not 'dissing' those who have excelled within the context of Malaysian schools. I think that there are many, many students who have gone through SPM and STPM who are world class brains and have gone on to some of the top universities in the world and done well there. But personally, I think I would have gotten less out of the system had I stayed on in Malaysia instead of going to Singapore. There are, of course, shortcomings in the Singapore system, which I will discuss in my next posting, but given a choice on whether to repeat the experience or not, I would choose to go to RI for my O levels and RJ for my A levels, in a heartbeat.
(I've left out, for the sake of brevity, other pros such as better trained teachers, a more flexible and expansive curriculum, a better support system to apply for top universities overseas, just to name a few)
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Seeking Singapore Education?
Well, the Star yesterday carried a 12-page extremely comprehensive guide (well, the most comprehensive I've seen any where, anyway) to pursuing an education in our southern neighbour. The "Special", unfortunately isn't available online and you'd have to yesterday's printed if you're interested in reading the full write up.
Scholarship for Malaysians
Singapore Education Services Centre
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has opened its 1st Singapore Education Services Centre to provide a "holistic experience to international students in Singapore". It's interesting that this task falls to STB! :-)
"Study in Singapore" Tours
Gawd! Our own Ministry of Higher Education could do with a little bit of learning from our neighbours. They've actually created a specific "Study in Singapore" tour targetting at potential students to the country!
The "Special" also had a page on frequently asked questions such as whether you require a visa and student's pass to study in Singapore (yes), how much does it cost to live in Singapore (RM1,800-RM4,600 per month), eligibility for part-time work (yes , with limitations) as well as a few other informational queries.
For those seeking a secondary education in Singapore - remember that not all schools in Singapore are "better" than Malaysian schools, and if one can't gain entry to the more reputable ones, it might just be better to stay at home.
For those who makes it to Singapore, remember that it's not all a bed of roses. While many readers have expressed advice and opinions to the contrary, I sincerely hope that some of you will return to play a part in making Malaysia a better place.
Singapore has emerged as a centre of excellence for education in Asia, with 66,000 international students from over 60 countries, offering a diverse and distinctive mix of quality educational services in a safe and cosmopolitan environment, at an affordable cost, and to Malaysians, one that is close to home.So I'll just highlight here, some of the pertinent points which readers may be interested in.
Scholarship for Malaysians
- ASEAN Scholarship
The ASEAN scholarship is offered to Secondary One (Form 1), Secondary Three (Form 3) and Pre-University One (Lower Form 6) students. All the scholarships lead to the completion of GCE 'A' Levels, renewed annually, "subject to the satisfactory performance of the scholar". There is no bond attached to the scholarships. - SIA Youth Scholarship
Singapore Airlines offers scholarships to students completing Grade 10 (SPM) for a 2-year pre-university course in top junior colleges in Singapore leading to the awarding of a GCE 'A' Level certification. - SIA-NOL Undergraduate Scholarships
Singapore Airlines and Neptune Orient Lines offer scholarships to students completing Grade 12 (STPM) for 4-year undergraduate studies in Science and Techology courses at either Nanyang Technological University (NTU) or the National University of Singapore (NUS). - NGS Scholarship (NGSS)
Offered by NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences & Engineering (NGS) toGraduates with 1st Class honours and a passion for research. The scholarship is aimed at attracting highly talented students to take on PhD studies in Singapore at NUS. - Singapore-MIT Alliance Fellowship
The Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA) offers fellowships to undergraduates in Engineering, Science and Computer Science, for pursuit of Masters and PhD from NUS, NTU and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Information on loans, bursaries and scholarships is also available here. - A*STAR Graduate Scholarship
Check out A*STAR here. - Micron Scholarship
Check out Micron Scholarship here. - Singapore Institute of Management International Scholarship
International students enrolling for fulltime studies at diploma and undergraduate levels in SIM may apply for merit-based schoarship awards. - Scholarships and Financial Assistance for NUS
NUS offers ASEAN undergraduate scholarship for STPM (or equivalent) students with excellent results. Alternatively, tuition fee loans are also offered to qualified students.
Singapore Education Services Centre
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has opened its 1st Singapore Education Services Centre to provide a "holistic experience to international students in Singapore". It's interesting that this task falls to STB! :-)
The centre will provide access to one-stop infomration for international students studying in Signapore and will cater to their welfare and well-being beyond the classroom... International students can drop by the centre for education counselling and research, or simply to mingle with their peers.It's located at YMCA Building @ 1, Orchard Road, right at the heart of the city.
"Study in Singapore" Tours
Gawd! Our own Ministry of Higher Education could do with a little bit of learning from our neighbours. They've actually created a specific "Study in Singapore" tour targetting at potential students to the country!
[Singapore] invites you to joina tour to learn more on the important aspects such as the education system, accomodation optinos and easing into the local environment. Comprehensively packaged, the tours are designed to help you make an infomred decision about giving [you] a world class education in Singapore.You can find out more about the tours at the Singapore Education website, or contact them at the Singapore Tourism Board office in Kuala Lumpur @ (03) 2142 7133.
The "Special" also had a page on frequently asked questions such as whether you require a visa and student's pass to study in Singapore (yes), how much does it cost to live in Singapore (RM1,800-RM4,600 per month), eligibility for part-time work (yes , with limitations) as well as a few other informational queries.
For those seeking a secondary education in Singapore - remember that not all schools in Singapore are "better" than Malaysian schools, and if one can't gain entry to the more reputable ones, it might just be better to stay at home.
For those who makes it to Singapore, remember that it's not all a bed of roses. While many readers have expressed advice and opinions to the contrary, I sincerely hope that some of you will return to play a part in making Malaysia a better place.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
"Brain Gain Programme Needed"
I managed to dig this up from my own archive of old news reports, and thought it's still useful to be highlighted today, if not more relevant than before.
It was reported by Bernama in April this year, that our Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak related that "Malaysia needs to put in place a sustainable brain gain programme to attract skilled talents to meet ashortage of about 30,000 to 40,000 researchers, scientists and engineers in 2010."
Were you serious, honourable Deputy Prime Minister?
I think the government leaders, should, instead of constantly harping on a "brain gain programme", be looking first of all, at plugging the brain drain predicament.
If the government leaders bother listening to the concerned rakyat by simply reading some of the extremely agitated comments (not all of which I agree with personally) on this blog, then you can tell that the brain drain predicament is extremely serious. If the drain is not plugged, not amount of innovative brain gain programmes will succeed in overcoming the problem of shortage of skilled resources.
Kian Ming has written on how "racial discrimination" is a major factor in pushing fellow high calibre Malaysians to take their talents overseas. I have followed up with a more detailed example of Prof Lee Eng Hin. The government leaders of the country must recognise the issue outright, instead of constantly skirting around it. They must outline a short and longer term solution to fix the discrimination issues, instead of pretending its non-existence or its somebody else's problem. Otherwise, no amount of talks on "brain gain programmes" will ever earn any credibility.
Kian Ming and myself are just two of the silly little boys who have studied in the top schools in Singapore and the United Kingdom (Kian Ming is pursuing his PhD in the United States at the moment), who have returned (or will be returning) to our homeland to pursue our career and dreams, despite all of the obvious shortcomings. However, for every one of these silly little boys, there are probably 10 other smart ones (or more) who choose a path to other countries which, to quote Datuk Seri Najib, are "rolling out the red carpet every day" for them.
The very first place to start, to show the commitment of the nations leaders in wanting the best for Malaysia, is to rid of the "discrimination" tag in the universities of Malaysia. On then, can the swirling waters gushing down the sink be plugged, or at the very least, be reduced to a trickle. It's not an easy task, but we all need to take the little baby steps before we can learn to walk and run.
It was reported by Bernama in April this year, that our Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak related that "Malaysia needs to put in place a sustainable brain gain programme to attract skilled talents to meet ashortage of about 30,000 to 40,000 researchers, scientists and engineers in 2010."
Were you serious, honourable Deputy Prime Minister?
"While our first obligation must be to nurture and encourage our ownhomegrown talents, we should supplement this pool by attracting talents fromall over the world and ultimately retain these talents to contribute tobuilding an innovative and competitive economy"The question to ask Datuk Seri Najib will be, for the past 8 months, since this speech was given, what are the tangible stuff which the government has done to execute this "brain gain programme"? And if I were to "re-post" this article 12 months on, will anything have changed?
Najib said developed nations like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the United States and even Singapore were aggressively attracting talented individuals from around the world to meet their own talent deficits. He said these economies were rolling out the red carpet every day for people with specific skills and talents, and giving them plum jobs, tax breaks, venture capital and research funding, permanent resident status and even citizenship as incentives.
I think the government leaders, should, instead of constantly harping on a "brain gain programme", be looking first of all, at plugging the brain drain predicament.
If the government leaders bother listening to the concerned rakyat by simply reading some of the extremely agitated comments (not all of which I agree with personally) on this blog, then you can tell that the brain drain predicament is extremely serious. If the drain is not plugged, not amount of innovative brain gain programmes will succeed in overcoming the problem of shortage of skilled resources.
Kian Ming has written on how "racial discrimination" is a major factor in pushing fellow high calibre Malaysians to take their talents overseas. I have followed up with a more detailed example of Prof Lee Eng Hin. The government leaders of the country must recognise the issue outright, instead of constantly skirting around it. They must outline a short and longer term solution to fix the discrimination issues, instead of pretending its non-existence or its somebody else's problem. Otherwise, no amount of talks on "brain gain programmes" will ever earn any credibility.
Kian Ming and myself are just two of the silly little boys who have studied in the top schools in Singapore and the United Kingdom (Kian Ming is pursuing his PhD in the United States at the moment), who have returned (or will be returning) to our homeland to pursue our career and dreams, despite all of the obvious shortcomings. However, for every one of these silly little boys, there are probably 10 other smart ones (or more) who choose a path to other countries which, to quote Datuk Seri Najib, are "rolling out the red carpet every day" for them.
The very first place to start, to show the commitment of the nations leaders in wanting the best for Malaysia, is to rid of the "discrimination" tag in the universities of Malaysia. On then, can the swirling waters gushing down the sink be plugged, or at the very least, be reduced to a trickle. It's not an easy task, but we all need to take the little baby steps before we can learn to walk and run.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Universiti Utara Malaysia Staff To Wear Batik
The Star reported today that Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) staff are now required to wear batik to work on the first and third Sunday of each month.
Will academics get their contracts terminated like Dr Azly Rahman if they refuse to wear the universities' batik uniform?
Are academics now "civil servants" first, and academics second? As far as I am concerned, academics in the top universities will rather be over their dead bodies, than to be referred to as "civil servants".
Does Dr Nordin's attempt to "promote local batik producer and industry" mean that some well connected batik uniform manufacturers gets a decent contract for something to be worn 12 times a year?
How did news like this get into the press anyway? Was Dr Nordin so proud of this little brain wave, that he actually invited the media to write about it?
Sigh.
They should wear the university’s batik uniform on the first Sunday and ‘batik' clothes of their choice on the third Sunday. They should wear the university’s batik uniform on the first Sunday and ‘batik' clothes of their choice on the third Sunday.Don't academics have better things to do than to think about trivialities?
UUM vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Nordin Kardi said the campaign, which began last week, was in line with the government’s campaign encouraging civil servants to wear batik at work. Dr Nordin said wearing batik would help to promote local batik producer and industry.
Will academics get their contracts terminated like Dr Azly Rahman if they refuse to wear the universities' batik uniform?
Are academics now "civil servants" first, and academics second? As far as I am concerned, academics in the top universities will rather be over their dead bodies, than to be referred to as "civil servants".
Does Dr Nordin's attempt to "promote local batik producer and industry" mean that some well connected batik uniform manufacturers gets a decent contract for something to be worn 12 times a year?
How did news like this get into the press anyway? Was Dr Nordin so proud of this little brain wave, that he actually invited the media to write about it?
Sigh.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
A Plug for TinKosong
Thanks to reader, LYL, I was pointed to the blog, TinKosong which was started recently. The blog aims to be a "non-political, non-profit community of Malaysian college and university students aimed at collecting and distributing information about education, opportunities and the future generation of Malaysia."
In their short history, they have compiled a fair bit of information on various scholarships available to Malaysians, and are looking for more such information to be published.
TinKosong is maintained by three students based in the United States, Nick Khaw - 18 year old at Harvard, Joyce Tagal - 19 year old at Yale and Eng Han, 19 year old at United World College, New Mexico. Keep up the good work! :)
In their short history, they have compiled a fair bit of information on various scholarships available to Malaysians, and are looking for more such information to be published.
TinKosong is maintained by three students based in the United States, Nick Khaw - 18 year old at Harvard, Joyce Tagal - 19 year old at Yale and Eng Han, 19 year old at United World College, New Mexico. Keep up the good work! :)
"Take Negative Reports in a Positive Light"
"Government departments and agencies should not regard negative reports against them as 'public bashing'."
That's exactly the message that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi delivered at the Prime Minister's Quality Award ceremony on Sunday evening. Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Civil Servants, admnistrators of institutions of higher learning could really do no wrong by paying heed to the Prime Minister's advice.
Although this blog deals only with issues relating to our education system, there have been plenty of examples of this denial syndrome. The relevant authorities will just take any form of criticisms or "negative reports" as a form of "public bashing" over the last few months. Here's a recap of all the pathetic responses to public criticism, and the inability of the responsible parties to "take negative reports in a positive light".
I find it really really ironical these days, that the opposition politicians constantly quoting and providing support the Prime Minister, whilst the Prime Minister's own cabinet and party leaders appear to be deafeningly silent, often acting contrary to the advice and directives from the Prime Minister instead. I would not blame a independent foreign observer new to Malaysian politics to find the entire situation amusing or confusing.
The Deputy Dean of the Science Faculty, Professor Dr Kurunathan Ratnavelu of Universiti Malaya wrote recently in the Star that he was "dismayed by some of the destructive comments on UM and its management, made by so-called 'experts'", and he argued that "the management of universities is a serious matter that cannot be handled by persons who lack academic experience!".
I cannot resist but to feel a little perasan and to claim credit for his reference to the "so-called experts", for I know that the articles of this blog were circulated widely within the UM campus. Hence, in this case, as I'm not an academic, I should just keep my mouth shut. But hey, Kian Ming is an academic, hence he can talk!
This Professor Dr Kurunathan Ratnavelu would do well to heed his own words, for he loudly proclaimed (bodek) that:
"If we just ignore the criticism, we would not know whether what we are doing is right or wrong."
That's exactly the message that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi delivered at the Prime Minister's Quality Award ceremony on Sunday evening. Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Civil Servants, admnistrators of institutions of higher learning could really do no wrong by paying heed to the Prime Minister's advice.
Although this blog deals only with issues relating to our education system, there have been plenty of examples of this denial syndrome. The relevant authorities will just take any form of criticisms or "negative reports" as a form of "public bashing" over the last few months. Here's a recap of all the pathetic responses to public criticism, and the inability of the responsible parties to "take negative reports in a positive light".
- Read the fiasco over Dr Terence Gomez, and the inability of Kapten Dato Professor Dr Hashim Yaacob to accept the error of his ways. "Show cause!"
- Read about our Public Service Department's quickfire denial syndrome when the public got upset with the failure of many top students in obtaining scholarships.
- Read about the early termination of Prof P Ramasamy's tenure at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and the subsequent silly excuses provided by the vice-chancellor, Mohamad Salleh Yasin for the university's actions @ Malaysiakini.
- Read about the immediate denial from the Ministry of Higher Education, when confidential student listings were sold to private colleges. "It's not us!"
- Read about another denial syndrome from the Ministry of Higher Education, when attempting to avoid responsibility over the emergence of "accredited" bogus universities. "There's nothing we can do".
- Read also about the refusal of our Minister of Higher Education to accept the widespread criticism of the "Aku Janji" pledge worthy of Joseph Stalin. "It's like prayers".
- And of course, in the most recent world university rankings saga, there was denial, ignorance and incredulity by many parties in public display when UM slipped in its rankings.
I find it really really ironical these days, that the opposition politicians constantly quoting and providing support the Prime Minister, whilst the Prime Minister's own cabinet and party leaders appear to be deafeningly silent, often acting contrary to the advice and directives from the Prime Minister instead. I would not blame a independent foreign observer new to Malaysian politics to find the entire situation amusing or confusing.
The Deputy Dean of the Science Faculty, Professor Dr Kurunathan Ratnavelu of Universiti Malaya wrote recently in the Star that he was "dismayed by some of the destructive comments on UM and its management, made by so-called 'experts'", and he argued that "the management of universities is a serious matter that cannot be handled by persons who lack academic experience!".
I cannot resist but to feel a little perasan and to claim credit for his reference to the "so-called experts", for I know that the articles of this blog were circulated widely within the UM campus. Hence, in this case, as I'm not an academic, I should just keep my mouth shut. But hey, Kian Ming is an academic, hence he can talk!
This Professor Dr Kurunathan Ratnavelu would do well to heed his own words, for he loudly proclaimed (bodek) that:
I was elated to read our Prime Minister’s constructive comments on [UM's drop in rankings]. It is good to know we have such a man in power.Listen carefully, for the Prime Minister now says, that "such [negative] reports should be viewed positively and spur them to work harder to improve the public delivery system."
"If we just ignore the criticism, we would not know whether what we are doing is right or wrong."
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Edu-City: Another Hare-Brained Idea?
Just a week ago, the New Straits Times reported a story on the efforts of United Engineers Malaysia (UEM) to "sell" Bandar Nusajaya in Johor to "leading foreign universities to build branch campuses."
Can this idea actually take off? Why will these "leading" American, Australian and UK universities want to set up specialised campuses in Nusajaya (which at this point of time, is still sparsely populated)?
The property division of UEM has in the most recent quarter registered a pre-tax loss of RM2.6 million. Is there going to be further losses to come with the launch of the "Edu-city" project? Thankfully this is a private sector project and the tax payer's monies are not utilised to fund it.
The project known as Edu-City will be an integral component of the new Nusajaya township where Johor's new administrative capital is being built.It was stated that different institutions will set up different campuses specialising in different fields.
"There is a great deal of interest from leading American, Australian and UK-based universities in Nusajaya. We should be able to announce the details by the middle of next year."
Can this idea actually take off? Why will these "leading" American, Australian and UK universities want to set up specialised campuses in Nusajaya (which at this point of time, is still sparsely populated)?
The property division of UEM has in the most recent quarter registered a pre-tax loss of RM2.6 million. Is there going to be further losses to come with the launch of the "Edu-city" project? Thankfully this is a private sector project and the tax payer's monies are not utilised to fund it.
Monday, December 05, 2005
University Don: It's Not Our Fault
Ewww... there was a short article in the New Straits Times last week which quoted Professor Datuk Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid of Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UNITAR) that "Graduates should not blame the university for being unemployed. It is the individual's own responsibility to master skills required for gaining employment."
Errr... while I agree that graduates are responsible for their own employment status, to argue that the university is totally blameless and not responsible for their graduates' employability is equally irresponsible.
The whole idea of institutions of higher learning today is to provide an environment for its students to acquire knowledge, cultivate critical thinking skills and harness their personal potentials through interaction, guidance and teaching by experienced and competent university academics. It is only when the university has executed its responsibilities in a competent manner, can they then claim that it is no longer their responsibility to ensure employability.
However, as far as I can tell, and I believe most readers will agree, the top Malaysian universities are not yet able to fully disclaim responsibility, much less the 2nd and 3rd tier universities.
Hmmm... so since there is no one else to blame without implicating themselves for the 80,000 unemployed graduates, blame the graduates! Easy.
Errr... while I agree that graduates are responsible for their own employment status, to argue that the university is totally blameless and not responsible for their graduates' employability is equally irresponsible.
The whole idea of institutions of higher learning today is to provide an environment for its students to acquire knowledge, cultivate critical thinking skills and harness their personal potentials through interaction, guidance and teaching by experienced and competent university academics. It is only when the university has executed its responsibilities in a competent manner, can they then claim that it is no longer their responsibility to ensure employability.
However, as far as I can tell, and I believe most readers will agree, the top Malaysian universities are not yet able to fully disclaim responsibility, much less the 2nd and 3rd tier universities.
Hmmm... so since there is no one else to blame without implicating themselves for the 80,000 unemployed graduates, blame the graduates! Easy.
Non-Profit Organisation on Education for Malaysians?
No, there's no such organisation that I'm aware of at this point of time. But it's an idea which I have been toying with for sometime now, even before I started this blog.
Faithful readers of this blog will have known that I'm particularly concerned with regards to issues such as unemployment among fresh graduates, the standards of universities (locally and overseas) as well as the lack of credible information with regards to educational institutions in the country.
Hence, I've always toyed with the idea of setting up such an entity, a non-profit organisation relating to education for Malaysians to help "ease" some of the above issues - and to perform some of the functions which our local education ministries are failing to do (or are not doing very well). Some of the proposed objectives and actions of the organisation would include:
1. Grooming Top Students to Top Universities
The issue that readers would know that I'm not particularly happy about is the fact that Malaysia's top students are not provided with sufficient counselling to ensure that they are guided on the right track to qualify for the world's top universities. I've blogged about it here in my earlier post "Singaporeans Smarter Than Malaysians?".
Some of the comments relating to the above post have attributed the reason as a matter of "finances". I'd like to think that it's a fair bit more than just financing. Our governement authorities in-charge of scholarships have a tendency to send some of our top students to the most mediocre of universities overseas. And that's probably because the officers at these agencies regard these mediocre universities as "top" universities. I don't have the actual statistics on hand, but I'm pretty certain we send more scholars abroad than Singapore does every year. The difference is they don't send scholars to mediocre universities, while we definitely do.
Hence just about a month ago, a Malaysian alumni of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) contacted me with regards to providing top local students, particularly those taking their SPM, with mentoring and guidance with regards to applications and enrolment to the top universities of the world. Form 5 is probably the relevant year for these activities to ensure that these students take the necessary steps to acquire the right qualifications after completing their SPM examinations. Otherwise, some of these students may just end up in the wrong programmes with the many private colleges in Malaysia.
We would also like to disseminate information such as scholarships, bursaries and grants to ensure that these students do not let the lack of funds be a reason to hinder their access to these universities.
2. Career or employment advisory services
I was also thinking of starting off a series of seminars with regards to helping prospective graduates (probably students in the penultimate and final years in the universities) with simple tips on seeking employment. I say simple tips, because there is simply no secret formulas to gaining employment. There are however simple things-to-do, and it's really up to the individual students to work on themselves.
I've covered some of these tips here, but while this blog is indeed getting more popular, there's probably a limit to the its reach at this point of time. The practical tips will really include things like filling in application forms, creating resumes, requirements for nature of work etc. etc.
Many of the points I want to cover, are also typically provided by other commercial entities such as Jobstreet.com. However, I just thought it might just be useful to provide perspectives from local employers of a certain background instead of merely from a recruitment agency. I could charge say, RM10 per student, just to cover the cost and logistics of the event, or Jobstreet could sponsor the events :-) (See Ming? :-)) These sessions could also enable Q&As to allow employees at ask specific questions about an employer's point of view.
We could do roadshows around the country at the universities in the Klang Valley, Penang and Johor Bahru. What do you think? The above ideas are a start and if successful, they could lead to a more permanent structure to the career counselling events which might then be held annually.
3. Compile an Independent Rankings Table for Local Institutions of Higher Learning
This is the most recently added objective to the idea, partly due to the hoo-haa over the world rankings table compiled by The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES). It is also probably the hardest, as we will require information which the relevant institutions or authorities may not be willing to provide.
Providing an independent and uncommercialised rankings table for local institutions will provide a basis for prospective students to evaluate which are the best colleges for them to pursue their further education locally. As it stands, besides relying on word-of-mouth, there is little a prospective student can do to make semi-objective comparisons of the different universities and colleges.
***
So what do you think? For SPM and STPM readers out there, do you think that the above services will be terribly useful and important for you, with regards to the route you take for further education? Is it of good value or is it just going to be "marginally" useful?
While the objectives, I believe, are clearly useful, there are still many practical issues to deal with. The first 2 objectives above are probably easier to manage, but even then I'd need to look into recruiting more high calibre top Malaysian individuals to contribute their valuable time, manage the logistics, secure sponsors etc. The 3rd objective is probably the hardest, given that the Ministry of Higher Education and the relevant university authorities may not take kindly to an "independent" evaluation of their status and quality.
I am fairly keen to start the above "movement" and would like to hear from out there, whether as a potential beneficiary, or as a potential accomplice of the proposed programmes. I have certainly, in the past, been guilty of partaking in activities which were not follow through to completion, but I certainly hope that this is one idea which will see the light of day.
Faithful readers of this blog will have known that I'm particularly concerned with regards to issues such as unemployment among fresh graduates, the standards of universities (locally and overseas) as well as the lack of credible information with regards to educational institutions in the country.
Hence, I've always toyed with the idea of setting up such an entity, a non-profit organisation relating to education for Malaysians to help "ease" some of the above issues - and to perform some of the functions which our local education ministries are failing to do (or are not doing very well). Some of the proposed objectives and actions of the organisation would include:
1. Grooming Top Students to Top Universities
The issue that readers would know that I'm not particularly happy about is the fact that Malaysia's top students are not provided with sufficient counselling to ensure that they are guided on the right track to qualify for the world's top universities. I've blogged about it here in my earlier post "Singaporeans Smarter Than Malaysians?".
Some of the comments relating to the above post have attributed the reason as a matter of "finances". I'd like to think that it's a fair bit more than just financing. Our governement authorities in-charge of scholarships have a tendency to send some of our top students to the most mediocre of universities overseas. And that's probably because the officers at these agencies regard these mediocre universities as "top" universities. I don't have the actual statistics on hand, but I'm pretty certain we send more scholars abroad than Singapore does every year. The difference is they don't send scholars to mediocre universities, while we definitely do.
Hence just about a month ago, a Malaysian alumni of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) contacted me with regards to providing top local students, particularly those taking their SPM, with mentoring and guidance with regards to applications and enrolment to the top universities of the world. Form 5 is probably the relevant year for these activities to ensure that these students take the necessary steps to acquire the right qualifications after completing their SPM examinations. Otherwise, some of these students may just end up in the wrong programmes with the many private colleges in Malaysia.
We would also like to disseminate information such as scholarships, bursaries and grants to ensure that these students do not let the lack of funds be a reason to hinder their access to these universities.
2. Career or employment advisory services
I was also thinking of starting off a series of seminars with regards to helping prospective graduates (probably students in the penultimate and final years in the universities) with simple tips on seeking employment. I say simple tips, because there is simply no secret formulas to gaining employment. There are however simple things-to-do, and it's really up to the individual students to work on themselves.
I've covered some of these tips here, but while this blog is indeed getting more popular, there's probably a limit to the its reach at this point of time. The practical tips will really include things like filling in application forms, creating resumes, requirements for nature of work etc. etc.
Many of the points I want to cover, are also typically provided by other commercial entities such as Jobstreet.com. However, I just thought it might just be useful to provide perspectives from local employers of a certain background instead of merely from a recruitment agency. I could charge say, RM10 per student, just to cover the cost and logistics of the event, or Jobstreet could sponsor the events :-) (See Ming? :-)) These sessions could also enable Q&As to allow employees at ask specific questions about an employer's point of view.
We could do roadshows around the country at the universities in the Klang Valley, Penang and Johor Bahru. What do you think? The above ideas are a start and if successful, they could lead to a more permanent structure to the career counselling events which might then be held annually.
3. Compile an Independent Rankings Table for Local Institutions of Higher Learning
This is the most recently added objective to the idea, partly due to the hoo-haa over the world rankings table compiled by The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES). It is also probably the hardest, as we will require information which the relevant institutions or authorities may not be willing to provide.
Providing an independent and uncommercialised rankings table for local institutions will provide a basis for prospective students to evaluate which are the best colleges for them to pursue their further education locally. As it stands, besides relying on word-of-mouth, there is little a prospective student can do to make semi-objective comparisons of the different universities and colleges.
***
So what do you think? For SPM and STPM readers out there, do you think that the above services will be terribly useful and important for you, with regards to the route you take for further education? Is it of good value or is it just going to be "marginally" useful?
While the objectives, I believe, are clearly useful, there are still many practical issues to deal with. The first 2 objectives above are probably easier to manage, but even then I'd need to look into recruiting more high calibre top Malaysian individuals to contribute their valuable time, manage the logistics, secure sponsors etc. The 3rd objective is probably the hardest, given that the Ministry of Higher Education and the relevant university authorities may not take kindly to an "independent" evaluation of their status and quality.
I am fairly keen to start the above "movement" and would like to hear from out there, whether as a potential beneficiary, or as a potential accomplice of the proposed programmes. I have certainly, in the past, been guilty of partaking in activities which were not follow through to completion, but I certainly hope that this is one idea which will see the light of day.
Is repealing UUCA necessary?
I've been mulling over this issue for some time now. There have been numerous calls for the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) to be repealed. Some have argued that the removal of the UUCA is a necessary step to improve the quality of higher education in Malaysia. I think this argument merits a more in-depth examination.
Firstly, let me make my stance clear. I am passionately for academic freedom (including the right to criticize government and university policies) as well as for student freedom (including the right to mobilize to protest against certain policies and to join political parties). I would group these rights within the larger debate on democracy in Malaysia.
But if one wants to argue that the removal of the UUCA is a necessary step towards improving the quality of higher education in Malaysia, then the same person must face the 800 pound gorilla in the room - the National University of Singapore (NUS). NUS is not one to boast of its long standing commitment to academic or student freedom. I still remember an academic by the name of Christopher Lingle who was teaching at NUS and had to flee the country after writing a op-ed piece in the International Herald Tribune alleging practices of nepotism among certain leaders in Singapore. Recently, the University of Warwick voted not to set up a university in Singapore because of the very issue of academic and student freedom.
Yet, NUS acheived a high position in the controversial THES rankings as well as the Shanghai Jiao Tong rankings. NTU was not too far behind. Can we square the circle? Can we say that we need academic and student freedom to improve the quality of higher education and give praise to NUS and NTU in the same breath? This is an inconsistency that needs to be pointed out.
One can push the point further by asking if the leading universities in China (like Beijing University) are well known for academic and student freedom.
I would argue for the position that it is possible to improve the quality of higher education in our local varsities without dismantling the repressive impositions of the UUCA. My sense is that there are greater structural problems which drags down the standards at our local varsities. Tony and I have outlined some of these problems before - racialized policies, policies which do incenticive academics to do research, poor funding opportunities, low salaries. If we address these structural problems without touching the UUCA, as NUS has done, I think we've already taken significant steps towards improving the standards in our local Unis.
Foreign academics are attracted to NUS for a variety of reasons - competitive salaries, the prospect of government and private funding opportunities and for the many Malaysians there, a system based on meritocracy. Biologists and geneticists who want to work on stem-cell research won't give two hoots whether they have the right to criticize the policies of the Singapore government nor would they care much about the right of Singapore students to organize and mobilize for political purposes. Most of them care only about their research and the amount of funding they are getting towards that research.
In the longer term, however, Singapore will continue to face the problems illustrated by the University of Warwick affair. Many universities will not have issues with setting up branches or campuses in Singapore because of the excellent infrastructure and government incentives. But some might have issues of the very sort highlighted in the Warwick debate. If Singapore wants to be truly world class and attract world class talent, this is an impediment that they can do without.
Malaysia, however, is very far from what the universities in Singapore have achieved in their relatively short history. If I were to prioritize steps to improve the quality of higher education in Malaysia, I would first address the structural issues mentioned rather than put the UUCA at the forefront of the debate.
To answer my question in the title - I would say yes, it is necessary to repeal the UUCA as part of the larger process of democratic debate in Malaysia. But I would also say that it is not necessary to repeal the UUCA to improve the quality of higher education in our local unis. There are far bigger structural problems that need to be addressed and the UUCA is not one of them.
Firstly, let me make my stance clear. I am passionately for academic freedom (including the right to criticize government and university policies) as well as for student freedom (including the right to mobilize to protest against certain policies and to join political parties). I would group these rights within the larger debate on democracy in Malaysia.
But if one wants to argue that the removal of the UUCA is a necessary step towards improving the quality of higher education in Malaysia, then the same person must face the 800 pound gorilla in the room - the National University of Singapore (NUS). NUS is not one to boast of its long standing commitment to academic or student freedom. I still remember an academic by the name of Christopher Lingle who was teaching at NUS and had to flee the country after writing a op-ed piece in the International Herald Tribune alleging practices of nepotism among certain leaders in Singapore. Recently, the University of Warwick voted not to set up a university in Singapore because of the very issue of academic and student freedom.
Yet, NUS acheived a high position in the controversial THES rankings as well as the Shanghai Jiao Tong rankings. NTU was not too far behind. Can we square the circle? Can we say that we need academic and student freedom to improve the quality of higher education and give praise to NUS and NTU in the same breath? This is an inconsistency that needs to be pointed out.
One can push the point further by asking if the leading universities in China (like Beijing University) are well known for academic and student freedom.
I would argue for the position that it is possible to improve the quality of higher education in our local varsities without dismantling the repressive impositions of the UUCA. My sense is that there are greater structural problems which drags down the standards at our local varsities. Tony and I have outlined some of these problems before - racialized policies, policies which do incenticive academics to do research, poor funding opportunities, low salaries. If we address these structural problems without touching the UUCA, as NUS has done, I think we've already taken significant steps towards improving the standards in our local Unis.
Foreign academics are attracted to NUS for a variety of reasons - competitive salaries, the prospect of government and private funding opportunities and for the many Malaysians there, a system based on meritocracy. Biologists and geneticists who want to work on stem-cell research won't give two hoots whether they have the right to criticize the policies of the Singapore government nor would they care much about the right of Singapore students to organize and mobilize for political purposes. Most of them care only about their research and the amount of funding they are getting towards that research.
In the longer term, however, Singapore will continue to face the problems illustrated by the University of Warwick affair. Many universities will not have issues with setting up branches or campuses in Singapore because of the excellent infrastructure and government incentives. But some might have issues of the very sort highlighted in the Warwick debate. If Singapore wants to be truly world class and attract world class talent, this is an impediment that they can do without.
Malaysia, however, is very far from what the universities in Singapore have achieved in their relatively short history. If I were to prioritize steps to improve the quality of higher education in Malaysia, I would first address the structural issues mentioned rather than put the UUCA at the forefront of the debate.
To answer my question in the title - I would say yes, it is necessary to repeal the UUCA as part of the larger process of democratic debate in Malaysia. But I would also say that it is not necessary to repeal the UUCA to improve the quality of higher education in our local unis. There are far bigger structural problems that need to be addressed and the UUCA is not one of them.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Censure Motion for Minister of Higher Education (Update)
In a healthy development of the Malaysian press, we are beginning to see more sensible statements made by opposition leaders and other "neutral" parties being reported and published in the fourth estate.
The Star reported on Friday, Sdr Lim Kit Siang's parliamentary motion seeking to censure the Minister of Higher Education via a RM10 pay cut. I have earlier summarised the motion here earlier, or you can read the full statement at Sdr Lim's blog.
The interesting thing of note, the Member of Parliament (MP) of Kemaman, Ahmad Shaberry Cheek of UMNO said "it was unfair to censure the minister as his ministry had only been set up for two years". He argued that "[i]t is unfair to make UM as an excuse to embarrass the ministry." This is coming from the same MP who was quoted in an earlier article by New Straits Times claiming that the authorities "seem to be in a state of denial".
I'd just like to put forth the argument that two years is a long time, and is definitely more than sufficient to have tackled several of the issues outlined by Sdr Lim, if not all of them. We are not asking for the Ministry of Higher Education to turn around our entire higher education system over two years. But we do expect our Minister to have made some significant progress over the last two years. Some of the issues listed could be "corrected" over a period of 3-6 months, if the Minister had any conviction in executing his duties.
Unfortunately, as far as we can tell, there is little or no change at all in the state of higher education, today or two years ago. Instead, one may argue that the circumstances has further deteriorated with the many crises which have befallen our universities. Read Dr Terence Gomez, Professor Ramasamy, Dr Azly Rahman and wife, World University Rankings etc.
I would agree that it may be unfair to censure the minister if he has only been in his job for say, 6 months. However, with no significant progress in sight for our higher education system, I believe a "censure" is the very least that our Minister of Higher Education deserves.
The Star reported on Friday, Sdr Lim Kit Siang's parliamentary motion seeking to censure the Minister of Higher Education via a RM10 pay cut. I have earlier summarised the motion here earlier, or you can read the full statement at Sdr Lim's blog.
The interesting thing of note, the Member of Parliament (MP) of Kemaman, Ahmad Shaberry Cheek of UMNO said "it was unfair to censure the minister as his ministry had only been set up for two years". He argued that "[i]t is unfair to make UM as an excuse to embarrass the ministry." This is coming from the same MP who was quoted in an earlier article by New Straits Times claiming that the authorities "seem to be in a state of denial".
I'd just like to put forth the argument that two years is a long time, and is definitely more than sufficient to have tackled several of the issues outlined by Sdr Lim, if not all of them. We are not asking for the Ministry of Higher Education to turn around our entire higher education system over two years. But we do expect our Minister to have made some significant progress over the last two years. Some of the issues listed could be "corrected" over a period of 3-6 months, if the Minister had any conviction in executing his duties.
Unfortunately, as far as we can tell, there is little or no change at all in the state of higher education, today or two years ago. Instead, one may argue that the circumstances has further deteriorated with the many crises which have befallen our universities. Read Dr Terence Gomez, Professor Ramasamy, Dr Azly Rahman and wife, World University Rankings etc.
I would agree that it may be unfair to censure the minister if he has only been in his job for say, 6 months. However, with no significant progress in sight for our higher education system, I believe a "censure" is the very least that our Minister of Higher Education deserves.
Singaporeans Smarter Than Malaysians?
Are Singaporean students smarther than their Malaysian counterparts?
When I take a look at the top universities in the world, Singapore students outnumber Malaysian students by far. When I was at Oxford (that's some 14 years back!), there was probably literally a handful of Malaysian undergraduates enrolling each year (I understand that there are more today). On the other hand, in my year, there are some 15-20 scholars from Singapore's top junior colleges. While the number of Malaysian undergraduates at Cambridge is significantly higher than that at Oxford, similarly, Singaporeans still outnumber Malaysians. When you look at the top US universities - whether Ivy League such as MIT or Harvard or top liberal arts colleges, once again, Singaporeans will outnumber Malaysians. [Readers, feel free to correct me if my perception is wrong]
Why is this so? There is no logical reason I can think of, to assume that student quality and talent in Malaysia should be less than that in Singapore. Even if the percentage of equivalent talent in Malaysia is lower given the differences in affluence between the 2 countries, the actual quantity of "top talent" should be higher simply due to Malaysia's 6-times larger student population!
So, are Singaporeans necessarily smarter than Malaysians? No way!
The difference is, the Singapore education system provides a formal guided structure to ensure that their top students receives top quality education from the top universities worldwide. In Malaysia, there is just a total absence of such formal guidance. Students today are largely guided by deceving marketing collaterals and advertisements, hearsay from family and and sometimes equally ignorant friends (which may or may not be accurate) and individual resourcefulness.
When I was doing my 'A' Levels in Singapore at one of the top junior colleges (JCs), I was constantly exposed to little events which highlighted the attractiveness of the top schools in the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US). These JCs will often run specials programmes and classes to prepare students for the necessary entry requirements and examinations to join the elite universities. Top students are identified and are individually counselled to ensure that they apply for universities which meet their needs and interests. In some cases, the JCs actually monitor the number of applications to each college or university to ensure the highest probability of acceptance (instead of say, everyone applying to one particular college).
My route to Oxford wasn't through one of these programmes, but I was strongly influenced by the information made available. I'm pretty certain that I would not have experienced such an environment in Malaysian national schools which encourage the exploration of opportunities at these top universities.
The Ministry of Education needs to seriously relook at where and how our talents are allocated to. Where are we actually sending our "scholars"? While we clearly have a more complex education system partly due to the number of students and the size of the country which makes it harder to manage, there's clearly more the Ministry can do to ensure the right set of information is propagated to the top Malaysian students so that they will make the best choice for their future.
However, to depend on our civil service to deliver prompt and quality actions to immediately remedy the situation is clearly wishful thinking. This point actually leads to another idea which I'm contemplating, which will create possibly a private sector initiative to make up for the shortfall of our Ministry's initiatives (or the lack of it). I will blog this "idea" of mine next.
When I take a look at the top universities in the world, Singapore students outnumber Malaysian students by far. When I was at Oxford (that's some 14 years back!), there was probably literally a handful of Malaysian undergraduates enrolling each year (I understand that there are more today). On the other hand, in my year, there are some 15-20 scholars from Singapore's top junior colleges. While the number of Malaysian undergraduates at Cambridge is significantly higher than that at Oxford, similarly, Singaporeans still outnumber Malaysians. When you look at the top US universities - whether Ivy League such as MIT or Harvard or top liberal arts colleges, once again, Singaporeans will outnumber Malaysians. [Readers, feel free to correct me if my perception is wrong]
Why is this so? There is no logical reason I can think of, to assume that student quality and talent in Malaysia should be less than that in Singapore. Even if the percentage of equivalent talent in Malaysia is lower given the differences in affluence between the 2 countries, the actual quantity of "top talent" should be higher simply due to Malaysia's 6-times larger student population!
So, are Singaporeans necessarily smarter than Malaysians? No way!
The difference is, the Singapore education system provides a formal guided structure to ensure that their top students receives top quality education from the top universities worldwide. In Malaysia, there is just a total absence of such formal guidance. Students today are largely guided by deceving marketing collaterals and advertisements, hearsay from family and and sometimes equally ignorant friends (which may or may not be accurate) and individual resourcefulness.
When I was doing my 'A' Levels in Singapore at one of the top junior colleges (JCs), I was constantly exposed to little events which highlighted the attractiveness of the top schools in the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US). These JCs will often run specials programmes and classes to prepare students for the necessary entry requirements and examinations to join the elite universities. Top students are identified and are individually counselled to ensure that they apply for universities which meet their needs and interests. In some cases, the JCs actually monitor the number of applications to each college or university to ensure the highest probability of acceptance (instead of say, everyone applying to one particular college).
My route to Oxford wasn't through one of these programmes, but I was strongly influenced by the information made available. I'm pretty certain that I would not have experienced such an environment in Malaysian national schools which encourage the exploration of opportunities at these top universities.
The Ministry of Education needs to seriously relook at where and how our talents are allocated to. Where are we actually sending our "scholars"? While we clearly have a more complex education system partly due to the number of students and the size of the country which makes it harder to manage, there's clearly more the Ministry can do to ensure the right set of information is propagated to the top Malaysian students so that they will make the best choice for their future.
However, to depend on our civil service to deliver prompt and quality actions to immediately remedy the situation is clearly wishful thinking. This point actually leads to another idea which I'm contemplating, which will create possibly a private sector initiative to make up for the shortfall of our Ministry's initiatives (or the lack of it). I will blog this "idea" of mine next.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Censure Motion for Minister of Higher Education
Parliamentary opposition leader, Sdr Lim Kit Siang submitted a motion for a RM10 salary cut against the Minister of Higher Education Datuk Dr Shafie Salleh for the second year in succession in Parliament.
In his motion, he gave 10 reasons for the censure motion for failing to check the rot in excellence, quality and standards in higher education system.
The 10 reasons are:
In his motion, he gave 10 reasons for the censure motion for failing to check the rot in excellence, quality and standards in higher education system.
The 10 reasons are:
(1) THES World University Ranking 2005Go ahead and read Sdr Lim Kit Siang's blog for the full speech as well as further details on the above.
(2) Failure to create an academic culture of excellence and meritocracy
(3) Failure to restore academic freedom.
(4) Universities and Universities Colleges Act
(5) Student election frauds and malpractices.
(6) Zahid Higher Education Review Report
(7) Royal Commission on World-Class Universities in Malaysia
(8) Parliamentary Select Committee
(9) Universities in Terengganu and Kelantan – Politicisation of Higher Education
(10) Tudung in IIUM
Thursday, December 01, 2005
International Islamic University: Tudung or Not To Don? (Update)
In a very belated update to the "International Islamic University (IIU): Tudung or Not To Don" controversy blogged here, readers may be pleased to know that common sense has prevailed. In a report carried by the New Straits Times, the Cabinet has ruled that "no Malaysian undergraduate should be compelled to wear a tudung".
IIU has argued that its rules state that non-Muslim students are required to respect the Islamic code of conduct, comply with university rules and not act in any way that may be interpreted as being disrespectful to the religion. The public has responded such practices in essence makes non-Muslims subservient to Muslim practices, and the practice of mutual tolerance and respect is hence disregarded.
Thankfully, reason won its day in the Cabinet and it was announced that "in matters of religion, choice and not coercion should be the preferred way".
My concern now is whether IIU will take the cabinet directive in a positive manner. As it is, even certain cabinet minister's response appears more than a tad ambigious, as reported in the Sun. The last time this issue was raised, the same decision was made. However, IIU clearly ignored the directives, once the issue was no longer in the spotlight. As quoted in Malaysiakini, former IIU student and MP for Batu Gajah, Ms Fong Po Kuan highlighted that:
For those keen to find out more about life in general studying at IIU and some of its pressures in conformity with Islamic practices, please read Ms Fong Po Kuan's blog where she "chronicled" her years in IIU in 4 parts - Part I, II, III and IV.
IIU has argued that its rules state that non-Muslim students are required to respect the Islamic code of conduct, comply with university rules and not act in any way that may be interpreted as being disrespectful to the religion. The public has responded such practices in essence makes non-Muslims subservient to Muslim practices, and the practice of mutual tolerance and respect is hence disregarded.
Thankfully, reason won its day in the Cabinet and it was announced that "in matters of religion, choice and not coercion should be the preferred way".
It is agreed that wearing of tudung be made optional for students in all universities and higher learning institutions in the country. This also applies to students at the International Islamic University... All of us believe that there should not be coercion involved in the dress code, [T]he Cabinet also agreed that wearing of tudung be made optional at graduation ceremonies or convocations.This matter was raised to the Cabinet by the Minister in-charge of National Unity, Datuk Maximus Ongkili. However, it is regrettable that the minister did not have the moral courage to make his stand known at the point when the controversy was raised in Parliament. He even went to the extent of defending the authorities at IIU, before agreeing to submit the issue for deliberation by the Cabinet. It was equally (but unsurprisingly) disappointing that the Minister of Higher Education made the same defence that the tudung was part of the university attire. We expect our ministers, particularly in respect to matters relating to their portfolios, to show greater leadership and moral courage in carrying out their responsibilities.
My concern now is whether IIU will take the cabinet directive in a positive manner. As it is, even certain cabinet minister's response appears more than a tad ambigious, as reported in the Sun. The last time this issue was raised, the same decision was made. However, IIU clearly ignored the directives, once the issue was no longer in the spotlight. As quoted in Malaysiakini, former IIU student and MP for Batu Gajah, Ms Fong Po Kuan highlighted that:
"When I raised the issue in Parliament in 2003, I was told by the government that the university only encouraged non-Muslim undergraduates to wear the tudung, it was not compulsory... I am very sad that the problem still going on. This shows that the university is insensitive to other cultures and religions."Additionally, there is also not much point if the university "amends" it's formal rules and regulations to make the tudung optional, but continue to apply societal and peer pressure on its minority non-Muslim students to conform to Muslim practices. Blog reader "Lulu" raised that the necessity to conform comes often not from "written rules" but entrench bias and practices of many lecturers. Is IIU sincere in encouraging mutual respect and tolerance? If it is, it should govern the conduct of its lecturers by such standards and not let them set "standards" of their individual whims and fancies.
For those keen to find out more about life in general studying at IIU and some of its pressures in conformity with Islamic practices, please read Ms Fong Po Kuan's blog where she "chronicled" her years in IIU in 4 parts - Part I, II, III and IV.
Beating All Odds
In the recently released Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), there were many candidates who scored straight As. However, there was one person's result which stood out.
12-year old R. Priya Ranjini lives in a squatter house in Rasah, has to walk 15km to school, help take care of 4 younger siblings and occasionally study under the street lamps scored 7As for her primary school examinations. Her parents, an odd job labourer and a cleaner, earns barely RM800 a month. Priya's plight and achievement was highlighted in the Star on November 23rd.
Priya showed during the interview, admirable steely determination to excel despite the odds.
You go, girls!
Footnote: The report of Priya's plight in the Star has brought about plenty of well-meaning as well as unwanted attention from many parties Malaysian-style. It looks like Priya's achievement has changed the family's life somewhat, with offers to rebuild their house, provision of scholarships and tuition classes, paid electricity bills and more. See reports here and here.
12-year old R. Priya Ranjini lives in a squatter house in Rasah, has to walk 15km to school, help take care of 4 younger siblings and occasionally study under the street lamps scored 7As for her primary school examinations. Her parents, an odd job labourer and a cleaner, earns barely RM800 a month. Priya's plight and achievement was highlighted in the Star on November 23rd.
Priya showed during the interview, admirable steely determination to excel despite the odds.
"I will not let being poor affect my studies. I want to do well in my studies so that I will be able to help my family live a better life. I want to be a doctor one day and will strive to achieve my dream even if I have to face many obstacles. I also hope the example I set will spur my brothers and sister to also want to do well in their studies and succeed in life."In another related story, P. Hemaadevi of Sg. Siput also managed 7As despite living in a large single parent family. Her mother C. Sandriga, who earns about RM600 a month as a sweeper, said "it was not easy to raise six children single-handedly."
“There were many occasions when I could only afford to feed them rice and anchovies.”Cases like Priya's and Hemaadevi's make you want to celebrate the human spirit and not take things for granted. Education is the best route to equalisation of opportunities and wealth in our unequal society, and Priya and Hemaadevi will definitely do well to focused in her educational pursuits.
You go, girls!
Footnote: The report of Priya's plight in the Star has brought about plenty of well-meaning as well as unwanted attention from many parties Malaysian-style. It looks like Priya's achievement has changed the family's life somewhat, with offers to rebuild their house, provision of scholarships and tuition classes, paid electricity bills and more. See reports here and here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)