Sunday, January 14, 2007

Where's the Blueprint?

After Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein announced on the 24th December that the National Education Blueprint 2006-2010 would be released yesterday, 12th January, with great fanfare, the day went and passed without so much of a whimper from the Ministry. Where's the promised blueprint which was continually hyped by the Minister of Education over the past 2 weeks or so?

The Minister claimed that the blueprint would be posted on the website, a blog or something similar will be set up to invite public feedback on the 12th. Nothing happened besides several additional interviews with the local newspapers.

Is this another case of a poor delivery system? I'm certain we'll see it one of these days, but when? That's the question.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

HH was about to announce the NEB 2006-2010. Unfortunately the announcement was washed away in Kota Tinggi. Another copy is being prepared. Next change.

Anonymous said...

You must find some time to blog about a trend that has become very pervasive of late. This is with regards to the very many University Colleges, private education institues and even some public universities in their quest for students and their money.

Most are now operating like businesses and income and revenue generation counts alot for their survival and raison d'etre, so they need a constant and guaranteed flow of students. So what do they do?

Many of them aggressively target the pool of SPM 'graduates' and even failures to enrol on their many "Foundation" programmes. These are basically INTERNAL (but "LAN-approved") programmes they establish and students 'pass' this and are then well on their way to enrol for their degree programmes from usually the same University Colleges themselves.

Some foreign universities have also gotten into the act by accepting the Foundation programme as acceptable entry requirements for their own degrees. Consequently, alot of SPM students are now by-passing the tougher(?) STPM, Matriculation other other university entrance examinations and they still get to enrol for a degree programme on an easier route.

If you look at their brochures, this is what its all about. Their counsellors even encourage students to take this easy route and save alot of stress. They shamelessly tell the students and their parents that they will save a couple of years and graduate earlier while their much smarter colleagues are still struggling at their studies. Overall, they claim, you can graduate with a degree by 21 or even 20!! and start earning money!! Overall you gain in time and money, they say.

Parents are often very taken by all this hype and I know a couple of them with children doing Foundation courses already, immediately after completing SPM at the tender age of about 17-18. What maturity do they have to start on a degree programme?

One thing is for sure. The UCs etc get a steady stream (flood?) of students for their Foundation programmes and later on, on their degree programmes. A very 'captive' market you might say, good for business. But what of academic standards?

Given the very lax nature of our supervisory authorities, who are more focussed on approving programmes and failing to monitor these subsequently, I fear that they are and will be producing 'graduates' by the thousands who may become unemployable. Many programmes start with a big bang but immediately drop afterwards, nobody knows no body monitors. Lecturers change, some non-existent, classes very flexible, students miraculously "pass" and move on to get their degrees. If lecturers fail their students, they get the boot. So who wants to break their own rice-bowl?

These days everyone's got a degree and if you can't get one, you really are no good and lazy, and have not been looking around. Its all about money. Not academic standards or ability.

You must have a degree or you are not 'hip' or 'in' or whatever they are saying these days. There are many UCs out there just waiting and wanting to give it to you. Just go through the motion for 3 years or so. You must have one. Its easy and could get easier. Not much stress. Besides, you can get / pay someone to do your assignments for you.

I could name names of the UCs etc but suffice to say you have already mentioned some of them in your various postings. But the evidence is out there, in the many daily newspaper advertisements.

Does our education blueprint consider and encourage this? What about CONTROL and STANDARDS issues. Anybody concerned? Would you employ a graduate from one of our UCs?

Sheriff Singh

Anonymous said...

One particular thing i don't really understand is that, while they keep on saying we should forget who we are (races) in order to be one (Malaysians), more and more programmes are racially centered.

Just take the current one, Zam said that there will be a short clip on how Malays survived in South Africa, the first Chief Justice is a Malay, yada yada. i personally think that this does not promote unity of Malaysians. Rather, it strengthen their concepts of Malayness (mengagung-agungkan), the Malay Agenda which will further erode the current harmonious relationships (not quite anyway). Someone has already mentioned that Hang Tuah shouldn't exists and told to the children because of that. The same goes to Chinese and Indians.

Regarding the merging of all BN component parties as one, the big issue is again, how to divide the cake? As long as Malays call themselves Malays, Chinese call themselves Chinese and Indians call themselves Indians, this day will never come. When will the day that Malaysians are Malaysians arrive?

Anonymous said...

Just tell me one blueprint that succeeded....

hype sounding terms usually start with a big bang and die with an undetected whimper


pi mai pi mai...tang tu
hehe

Anonymous said...

Delays! Tidak apa attitude. What's new? This is one of the things Malaysians fail to learn from the Japanese - promptness - under the Look East Policy.

Anonymous said...

how come the 1 st. Jan. toll hike was not poor delivery system affected despite citizens protests ? It was so efficiently implemented just in time..and the much rah-rah blueprint is still no show yet ?

..just curious

Anonymous said...

The blueprints got caught in the flood in kota tinggi maaaa......