The 2007 Ibn-Khaldoun Essay Contest
Theme: “Economics and Freedom in Islamic Societies”
Background:
The Atlas Economic Research Foundation announces the second annual essay contest about freedom in the Islamic Societies. This year’s theme addresses the relationship between free-market economic policies and freedom in the Islamic societies.
The contest is named after Ibn-Khaldoun to honor the scholarly work of this prominent Islamic historian, economist, and sociologist of the 14th century. His writings continue to inspire free-market scholars to this day, promoting the necessity of responsible government to promote economic prosperity and civilized nations.
The Atlas Economic Research Foundation was founded in 1981 by the late Sir Antony Fisher. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia (USA), it is a non-profit organization that advances freedom around the world by helping develop and strengthen a network of market-oriented think tanks.
This year, Atlas is supporting Malaysia Think Tank London to promote the contest to Malaysians residing both in Malaysia and in other countries. Malaysia Think Tank London is a young research institute founded in 2006 to promote personal responsibility, the rule of law and market solutions in Malaysian public policy.
About the Contest:
The 2007 Ibn-Khaldoun invites young people to write essays that reflect their views
about the relationship between economics and freedom within the Islamic context. Students are invited to write about historical or modern-day economic policy or policies in enhancing or diminishing freedom and prosperity in their country or region. They may propose policy recommendations, emphasizing the principles of property rights, free trade, globalization, etc. within the context of Islamic economic thinking.
We encourage you to be critical and support your arguments with evidence or analysis. Your conclusions should lead to practical policy prescriptions. All Malaysian entries will automatically be entered into a parallel but separate contest run by Malaysia Think Tank London.
Awards:
• 1st Prize Winner: $2,000
• 2nd Prize Winner: $1,000
• 3rd Prize Winner: $ 500
• Two Honorable Mentions: $ 250 (each)
The winning essays will be posted on Atlas’ website www.atlasusa.org and on Azad -
Atlas’s newsletter about freedom in the Middle East.
Winners will be given priority to attend our regional leadership workshops in different parts of the Middle East, potentially in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, and Morocco.
In addition to the above prizes, the top 5 essays by Malaysians will also be posted on Malaysia Think Tank London’s website ‘www.malaysiathinktank.org.uk’. Malaysia Think Tank London will also compile these top 5 essays into a special publication.
Submission Guidelines:
Entries should be no fewer than 800 words and no more than 1,400 words, typewritten, double-spaced, and footnoted. Submissions may be written either in English or Arabic.
Who may join:
The contest is open to university students, undergraduate and graduate levels, who
are or below 30 years of age.
Each contestant is required also to send a brief curriculum vitae, summarizing his or
her academic and, if it applies, work history.
All qualified individuals will be considered for the contest, regardless of race, sex, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, or religious affiliation.
Deadline:
All submissions must be received on or before November 15th, 2007.
Judging Process:
Entries will be judged by a select group on the following criteria: clarity and
conciseness, coherence and logic, persuasiveness, and ability to offer practical
recommendations or solutions.
Send Submission to: sajid.anani@atlasusa.org
Atlas Economic Research Foundation: www.atlasusa.org
Malaysia Think Tank London: www.malaysiathinktank.org.uk
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Saturday, June 16, 2007
UM moving? Probably not
In a report in BT on June 12th, it was speculated that "GUOCOLAND (Malaysia) Bhd, a property developer controlled by Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan, has made a bid to relocate University Malaya from Petaling Jaya to Sepang." This
report was met with objections from many quarters, including the PM and the DPM as well as the UM board and the UM alumni. With this kind of public outcry, it is likely that the rumors would remain exactly as that - pure speculation. For the sake of discussion, let's examine the pros and cons of moving UM to Sepang and redeveloping the current UM site into a commercial zone.
Let's start with the possible pros.
Firstly, moving UM to Sepang might be a good thing if brand new facilities (libraries, labs, internet connectivity etc...) could be built for UM as part of the agreement for 'turning over' its grounds in KL. Many of the buildings in UM are old and no amount of 'upgrading' can make these facilities 'world-class'.
Secondly, there is nothing which says that UM has to be located in KL. Many great universities of the world are not located in capital cities or even in big cities per se. Cambridge is a small, quiet little town in East Anglia, UK. Oxford is a slightly larger, industrial town, but a town of less than 500,000. Warwick university, an up-and-coming university in the UK is located about an hour from London.
Stanford is located in Paolo Alto, about an hour from San Francisco. Cornell, an Ivy-league university, is located in Ithaca, a rural area of New York state, about a 4 hour drive from New York city. Duke, where I'm at, is in Durham, a town of about 200,000. University of Michigan is at Ann Arbor, also a smallish town of about 100,000. ANU is located Canberra, while being the capital of Australia, isn't exactly a thriving metropolis, unlike Sydney or Melbourne. Sepang is only about an hour from KL and would presumably be located near Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and the KLIA.
This being said, I have to strongly disagree with moving UM from KL to Sepang for the following reasons.
Firstly, while there are many examples of good universities being located in smallish towns, almost every major city in the world has at least one university located in it. London has UCL, Kings, LSE, Imperial, City, and many others. Washington, DC, has George Washington, Johns Hopkins and Georgetown. Boston has Harvard, MIT, Boston College, Boston U, Fletcher and many others. New York has Columbia, NYU and many others. Sydney has UNSW and U Sydney. There is something to be said about the positive interaction from having a research university in the middle of a bustling, capital city - ties with industry; exposure to the intellectual and social atmosphere of a major city; greater employment opportunities; and so on.
Secondly, the cost of building new facilities and buildings for UM in Sepang would be prohibitively expensive, even if UM can be adequately compensated for giving up its grounds in the heart of KL. Many hundreds of millions of dollars have already been spent on new buildings and facilities in UM. It is likely that these facilities will be wasted if indeed the current UM grounds are turned into a commercial / residential area.
Thirdly, the reasons for relocating a university should not be dictated on purely commercial grounds. The emotional ties to the university, as exemplified by the outcry from the UM alumnus, should not be neglected. The historical significance of UM's location also should not be ignored.
I'm glad that this move would probably not occur given the political and social outcry emanating after these newspaper reports. But I'd like to end this post by highlighting the fact that UM has not leveraged its position as the premier and oldest university in the country and its location in the heart of KL. I'd like to illustrate this by giving one example.
I remember my time at LSE as being one where I had a pick of prominent speakers to listen to which included world leaders, head of central banks, prominent economists, activists and corporate leaders. Similarly, here in the US, many world leaders as well as corporate leaders would consider it their honor to speak at Harvard or Stanford or Columbia. These universities were considered as destination of choice for many of these world and corporate leaders. UM, as far as I know, doesn't hold the same kind of attraction for many world and corporate leaders who visit Malaysia. These world and corporate leaders are usually ushered to invitation only events usually in posh hotels or in convention centers. Even prominent academics such as the Royal Ungku Aziz Chair of Poverty Studies, Professor Jeffrey Sachs (more on him later in another post), has not managed to find time in his busy schedule to grace the halls of our premier university. So, as the outcry on moving UM dies down, it would do us well to examine how UM can leverage on its location in KL and why it has failed to do so in the past 30 years or so.
report was met with objections from many quarters, including the PM and the DPM as well as the UM board and the UM alumni. With this kind of public outcry, it is likely that the rumors would remain exactly as that - pure speculation. For the sake of discussion, let's examine the pros and cons of moving UM to Sepang and redeveloping the current UM site into a commercial zone.
Let's start with the possible pros.
Firstly, moving UM to Sepang might be a good thing if brand new facilities (libraries, labs, internet connectivity etc...) could be built for UM as part of the agreement for 'turning over' its grounds in KL. Many of the buildings in UM are old and no amount of 'upgrading' can make these facilities 'world-class'.
Secondly, there is nothing which says that UM has to be located in KL. Many great universities of the world are not located in capital cities or even in big cities per se. Cambridge is a small, quiet little town in East Anglia, UK. Oxford is a slightly larger, industrial town, but a town of less than 500,000. Warwick university, an up-and-coming university in the UK is located about an hour from London.
Stanford is located in Paolo Alto, about an hour from San Francisco. Cornell, an Ivy-league university, is located in Ithaca, a rural area of New York state, about a 4 hour drive from New York city. Duke, where I'm at, is in Durham, a town of about 200,000. University of Michigan is at Ann Arbor, also a smallish town of about 100,000. ANU is located Canberra, while being the capital of Australia, isn't exactly a thriving metropolis, unlike Sydney or Melbourne. Sepang is only about an hour from KL and would presumably be located near Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and the KLIA.
This being said, I have to strongly disagree with moving UM from KL to Sepang for the following reasons.
Firstly, while there are many examples of good universities being located in smallish towns, almost every major city in the world has at least one university located in it. London has UCL, Kings, LSE, Imperial, City, and many others. Washington, DC, has George Washington, Johns Hopkins and Georgetown. Boston has Harvard, MIT, Boston College, Boston U, Fletcher and many others. New York has Columbia, NYU and many others. Sydney has UNSW and U Sydney. There is something to be said about the positive interaction from having a research university in the middle of a bustling, capital city - ties with industry; exposure to the intellectual and social atmosphere of a major city; greater employment opportunities; and so on.
Secondly, the cost of building new facilities and buildings for UM in Sepang would be prohibitively expensive, even if UM can be adequately compensated for giving up its grounds in the heart of KL. Many hundreds of millions of dollars have already been spent on new buildings and facilities in UM. It is likely that these facilities will be wasted if indeed the current UM grounds are turned into a commercial / residential area.
Thirdly, the reasons for relocating a university should not be dictated on purely commercial grounds. The emotional ties to the university, as exemplified by the outcry from the UM alumnus, should not be neglected. The historical significance of UM's location also should not be ignored.
I'm glad that this move would probably not occur given the political and social outcry emanating after these newspaper reports. But I'd like to end this post by highlighting the fact that UM has not leveraged its position as the premier and oldest university in the country and its location in the heart of KL. I'd like to illustrate this by giving one example.
I remember my time at LSE as being one where I had a pick of prominent speakers to listen to which included world leaders, head of central banks, prominent economists, activists and corporate leaders. Similarly, here in the US, many world leaders as well as corporate leaders would consider it their honor to speak at Harvard or Stanford or Columbia. These universities were considered as destination of choice for many of these world and corporate leaders. UM, as far as I know, doesn't hold the same kind of attraction for many world and corporate leaders who visit Malaysia. These world and corporate leaders are usually ushered to invitation only events usually in posh hotels or in convention centers. Even prominent academics such as the Royal Ungku Aziz Chair of Poverty Studies, Professor Jeffrey Sachs (more on him later in another post), has not managed to find time in his busy schedule to grace the halls of our premier university. So, as the outcry on moving UM dies down, it would do us well to examine how UM can leverage on its location in KL and why it has failed to do so in the past 30 years or so.
An old column on Bahasa Malaysia
I managed to find my old column, published in the NST in 2002 / 2003, on calling BM Bahasa Malaysia. I'll repost it here, for what it's worth.
Bahasa Malaysia, the national language for all Malaysians
Juliet’s infamous phrase ‘A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet’ has been quoted and misquoted more often than Shakespeare could have possibly imagined. I have to disagree with her on the principle that a name means much more than just a name.
For example, when Malaya became Malaysia after achieving independence in 1957, the change in our country’s name signified the discarding of our colonial shackles and pointed to a new beginning for a young multiethnic and multi religious nation.
Similarly, the formalisation of Bahasa Malaysia, or BM, as the national language of Malaysia and as the main medium of instructions in national schools signified the intention to build a national identity and foster national unity based on a common language.
Malaysia has come a long way since those heady days of independence 45 years ago. BM is widely spoken and is the common language of communication for most Malaysians. And yet there are still those who do not feel a sense of affinity, loyalty and ownership of our national language.
There are many reasons for this including being in an environment which is not conducive or encouraging towards the use and study of BM.
But another possible obstacle could be the use or rather the lack of use of the proper name for our national language, Bahasa Malaysia, which implies that it is Malaysia’s language for all Malaysians.
Indeed calling BM by any other name would seem to imply that it is a language used by and is the preserve of a particular community. This seems like an unhelpful step towards the already difficult and sensitive task of ensuring the widespread use and sense of loyalty towards our national language.
China, to unite the many disparate regions with its different dialects, chose Mandarin as its national language and called it ‘pudong hua’ or common tongue. That name indicates a language that should be and is used commonly by different peoples across the different regions in China regardless of social status and economic wealth.
Indonesia, with an archipelago spanning over 13,000 islands, chose to call its national language Bahasa Indonesia to indicate its status as the national language of all Indonesians.
Malaysia has followed suit by naming our national language Bahasa Malaysia, the national language for all Malaysians.
But there still remains certain quarters which continue to refer to BM, whether in a public or private, formal or informal context, as something other than BM.
A quick check of our country’s constitution reveals that references to our country’s national language does not name it as Bahasa Malaysia. Would it not be helpful foster a sense of ownership of BM by all Malaysians if all references to the national language in our constitution could be changed to Bahasa Malaysia?
Indeed, I would go further and encourage all public institutions to refer to our national language as Bahasa Malaysia or BM both verbally and in written form. I would also encourage all Malaysians to refer to our national language as Bahasa Malaysia or BM. Although many people and institutions unconsciously use BM interchangeably with other names and have no intention whatsoever to present BM as the preserve of a particular community, the ill effects of such actions can be subtle and long lasting.
If possible, even references to BM in other languages commonly used in Malaysia should be changed such that it reflects the common ownership of BM by all Malaysians.
A country’s national language and its name should reflect the nature, composition and spirit of that country. Bahasa Malaysia is reflective of the roots of our country, our multiethnic composition and our unity in diversity.
We couldn’t imagine calling Malaysia anything other than Malaysia. In the same way, we shouldn’t call Bahasa Malaysia anything other than Bahasa Malaysia.
Bahasa Malaysia, the national language for all Malaysians
Juliet’s infamous phrase ‘A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet’ has been quoted and misquoted more often than Shakespeare could have possibly imagined. I have to disagree with her on the principle that a name means much more than just a name.
For example, when Malaya became Malaysia after achieving independence in 1957, the change in our country’s name signified the discarding of our colonial shackles and pointed to a new beginning for a young multiethnic and multi religious nation.
Similarly, the formalisation of Bahasa Malaysia, or BM, as the national language of Malaysia and as the main medium of instructions in national schools signified the intention to build a national identity and foster national unity based on a common language.
Malaysia has come a long way since those heady days of independence 45 years ago. BM is widely spoken and is the common language of communication for most Malaysians. And yet there are still those who do not feel a sense of affinity, loyalty and ownership of our national language.
There are many reasons for this including being in an environment which is not conducive or encouraging towards the use and study of BM.
But another possible obstacle could be the use or rather the lack of use of the proper name for our national language, Bahasa Malaysia, which implies that it is Malaysia’s language for all Malaysians.
Indeed calling BM by any other name would seem to imply that it is a language used by and is the preserve of a particular community. This seems like an unhelpful step towards the already difficult and sensitive task of ensuring the widespread use and sense of loyalty towards our national language.
China, to unite the many disparate regions with its different dialects, chose Mandarin as its national language and called it ‘pudong hua’ or common tongue. That name indicates a language that should be and is used commonly by different peoples across the different regions in China regardless of social status and economic wealth.
Indonesia, with an archipelago spanning over 13,000 islands, chose to call its national language Bahasa Indonesia to indicate its status as the national language of all Indonesians.
Malaysia has followed suit by naming our national language Bahasa Malaysia, the national language for all Malaysians.
But there still remains certain quarters which continue to refer to BM, whether in a public or private, formal or informal context, as something other than BM.
A quick check of our country’s constitution reveals that references to our country’s national language does not name it as Bahasa Malaysia. Would it not be helpful foster a sense of ownership of BM by all Malaysians if all references to the national language in our constitution could be changed to Bahasa Malaysia?
Indeed, I would go further and encourage all public institutions to refer to our national language as Bahasa Malaysia or BM both verbally and in written form. I would also encourage all Malaysians to refer to our national language as Bahasa Malaysia or BM. Although many people and institutions unconsciously use BM interchangeably with other names and have no intention whatsoever to present BM as the preserve of a particular community, the ill effects of such actions can be subtle and long lasting.
If possible, even references to BM in other languages commonly used in Malaysia should be changed such that it reflects the common ownership of BM by all Malaysians.
A country’s national language and its name should reflect the nature, composition and spirit of that country. Bahasa Malaysia is reflective of the roots of our country, our multiethnic composition and our unity in diversity.
We couldn’t imagine calling Malaysia anything other than Malaysia. In the same way, we shouldn’t call Bahasa Malaysia anything other than Bahasa Malaysia.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Bahasa Malaysia, not Bahasa Melayu
I'm back in Durham, North Carolina and am once again connected to the online world. Many education issues are on my mind but I'll start with this positive news - the decision by the government to use Bahasa Malaysia instead of Bahasa Melayu. The most recent announcement by the Cabinet was reported in today's Star.
Back in the day when I co-wrote a column with the NST (called 'Chisel and Stone') with my former boss, Steven Wong, now with ISIS, I wrote about the merits of calling BM Bahasa Malaysia instead of Bahasa Melayu since this would give the connotation that the language belongs to all Malaysians.
I think that one can make a rational argument that BM should still be called Bahasa Melayu. After all, it is the 'mother tongue' of most, if not all, Malays. There are few Chinese or Indian households which speak Malay exclusively although there are certainly many non-Malay Bumiputera households in Sarawak and Sabah which do speak Malay exclusively or at least substantially. It is only natural that Malays would consider BM as 'their' language given the history and use of the language.
However, I think the move by the cabinet to make this change is a progressive one for the following reasons:
1) Given that BM is our national language and that all of us, regardless of race, learns BM in school
2) That it would encourage a gradual change in mindset that BM only belongs to Malays to one that BM i.e. Bahasa Malaysia belongs to and should be spoken widely by ALL Malaysians
3) That it shows a more magnanimous spirit on the part of the government to perhaps have a more open and liberal attitude towards issues of national identity (okay, this is perhaps a more optimistic reading)
On the part of the non-Malays (myself included), we should also reciprocate by demonstrating a greater willingness to speak, embrace and use our national language.
(An aside: Wasn't it Anwar Ibrahim who changed Bahasa Malaysia to Bahasa Melayu in the early 1990s when he was the Education Minister?)
Back in the day when I co-wrote a column with the NST (called 'Chisel and Stone') with my former boss, Steven Wong, now with ISIS, I wrote about the merits of calling BM Bahasa Malaysia instead of Bahasa Melayu since this would give the connotation that the language belongs to all Malaysians.
I think that one can make a rational argument that BM should still be called Bahasa Melayu. After all, it is the 'mother tongue' of most, if not all, Malays. There are few Chinese or Indian households which speak Malay exclusively although there are certainly many non-Malay Bumiputera households in Sarawak and Sabah which do speak Malay exclusively or at least substantially. It is only natural that Malays would consider BM as 'their' language given the history and use of the language.
However, I think the move by the cabinet to make this change is a progressive one for the following reasons:
1) Given that BM is our national language and that all of us, regardless of race, learns BM in school
2) That it would encourage a gradual change in mindset that BM only belongs to Malays to one that BM i.e. Bahasa Malaysia belongs to and should be spoken widely by ALL Malaysians
3) That it shows a more magnanimous spirit on the part of the government to perhaps have a more open and liberal attitude towards issues of national identity (okay, this is perhaps a more optimistic reading)
On the part of the non-Malays (myself included), we should also reciprocate by demonstrating a greater willingness to speak, embrace and use our national language.
(An aside: Wasn't it Anwar Ibrahim who changed Bahasa Malaysia to Bahasa Melayu in the early 1990s when he was the Education Minister?)
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
50 Years, 50 Heroes: Young Malaysians You Need to Know
A quick note from Andrew Loh who's promoting the above competition ;)
theCICAK has launched its second annual writing competition with the theme 50 Years, 50 Heroes: Young Malaysians You Need to Know in conjunction with Malaysia's 50th Merdeka Day.
Prizes worth RM 1,000 are up for grabs and the top 50 stories will be published into a book!
All one has to do is write about an unsung Malaysian hero between 12 and 29 years of age who has persevered against the odds to succeed or helped his community in unique ways that has not been previously highlighted. The story should not be more than 1000 words in English or Malay, and must be accompanied with a photograph of the hero.
People can choose anyone at all to be their heroes. Just as long as they tell us why he or she is one. Tell us about something heroic that the hero has done and justify it: theCICAK welcomes liberal interpretations of heroism and looks forward to reading he public's take on this competition's theme.
Judges include Jeff Ooi and Marina Mahathir.The submissions deadline is July 15th.
Check out the competition website for more details. These are what the Star and Tinkosong has to say about it.
theCICAK has launched its second annual writing competition with the theme 50 Years, 50 Heroes: Young Malaysians You Need to Know in conjunction with Malaysia's 50th Merdeka Day.
Prizes worth RM 1,000 are up for grabs and the top 50 stories will be published into a book!
All one has to do is write about an unsung Malaysian hero between 12 and 29 years of age who has persevered against the odds to succeed or helped his community in unique ways that has not been previously highlighted. The story should not be more than 1000 words in English or Malay, and must be accompanied with a photograph of the hero.
People can choose anyone at all to be their heroes. Just as long as they tell us why he or she is one. Tell us about something heroic that the hero has done and justify it: theCICAK welcomes liberal interpretations of heroism and looks forward to reading he public's take on this competition's theme.
Judges include Jeff Ooi and Marina Mahathir.The submissions deadline is July 15th.
Check out the competition website for more details. These are what the Star and Tinkosong has to say about it.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Marginalising Vernacular Schools
As reported by Malaysiakini here, the Chinese education movement Dong Jiao Zong (DJZ) or United School Committees Association, produced a report "in response to a call for feedback on the blueprint by the education ministry early this year."
I'd like to state upfront that the following views are those of my own, and not necessarily that of the political party which I'm affiliated to. There are points raised in the report which I'm in full agreement with, while there are others, which I thought were unreasonable.
First, the points which I'm in general agreement with:
1. More funds for vernacular schools
2. Greater Transparency & Accountability
3. A call for more dialogue with the Ministry of Education
As the Minister himself represented earlier, he has admitted in an exclusive interview with Nanyang Siangpau that “people should not regard the various types of schools in the country as a hurdle to be cleared. After all, this is not a zero-sum game because multi-culturalism is an added advantage and a strength for the country.”
Hence, we hope that he makes good his promise to receive feedback in good faith from all channels, including those via blogs.
On the point of disagreement with DJZ report, I find that the DJZ President, Yap Sin Tian's concern over the fact that Chinese and Tamil languages have been added as subjects in Malay- medium schools.
The availability of mother tongue education is only one of the factors affecting the parents decision to enrol students into national or vernacular schools. Two other overwhelming factors are the actual quality of education delivered as well as the perceived religiousification of the national schools.
If both streams of education seek to compete to provide better quality education in a 'secular' environment for non-Muslims, then the ultimate beneficiaries will be our future young Malaysians. Hence healthy competition should definitely not be obstructed. ;)
I'd like to state upfront that the following views are those of my own, and not necessarily that of the political party which I'm affiliated to. There are points raised in the report which I'm in full agreement with, while there are others, which I thought were unreasonable.
First, the points which I'm in general agreement with:
1. More funds for vernacular schools
DJZ president Yap Sin Tian said the blueprint “continues to ignore vernacular schools”As expressed extensively in my artictle "National vs Vernacular Schools", the BN government has persisted in ignoring the needs of vernacular schools in the country.
From 1970-2006, DJZ estimated that the country saw an increase of 2,900 national schools. A total of 193 vernacular schools - 58 Chinese schools and 134 Tamil - were closed for various reasons.
DJZ insisted that there is demand for 134 Chinese schools nationwide. Currently, there are 1,810 vernacular schools, 205 of which are run without government aid. DJZ alleged that the government has spent more money on national schools and has marginalised vernacular schools.
...despite the consistent claim by the government that it will build more vernacular schools in accordance to the needs of the people, the number of Chinese primary schools have declined from 1,333 in 1957 to 1,288 today while enrolment has more than doubled from 310,000 to 636,000. At the same time, the number of Tamil primary schools has been reduced from 526 in 2001 to 523 in 2006 despite a 12.7% increase in enrolment from 88,810 in 2001 to 100,142 in 2006.The perception of being marginalised cannot be help when The government's disbursement of RM1.4 million to 248 Chinese primary schools, or a meagre RM6,000 per school as hyped by Deputy Education Minister Datuk Hon Choon Kim in the vernacular press, pales in comparison to the RM709 million allocated to building 15 new Mara Junior Science Colleges (MRSMs), and more for upgrades and repairs of existing MRSMs.
2. Greater Transparency & Accountability
DJZ also wants greater transparency in the disbursement of funds... [including] listing subsidies for all schools.By listing the relevant expenses and disbursements to all schools, both the interested parties as well as the rakyat can decide for themselves if the government has been equitable in their distribution.
3. A call for more dialogue with the Ministry of Education
...the United Chinese School Teachers Association (Jiao Zong) president Ong Chiew Chuen said that "the ministry should initiate open dialogues with associations."It is actually quite unfortunate that the National Education Blueprint 2006-2010 launched by the Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, had not taken into account the views of the various communities and associations representing the education sector, which falls under the purview of the Ministry.
As the Minister himself represented earlier, he has admitted in an exclusive interview with Nanyang Siangpau that “people should not regard the various types of schools in the country as a hurdle to be cleared. After all, this is not a zero-sum game because multi-culturalism is an added advantage and a strength for the country.”
Hence, we hope that he makes good his promise to receive feedback in good faith from all channels, including those via blogs.
On the point of disagreement with DJZ report, I find that the DJZ President, Yap Sin Tian's concern over the fact that Chinese and Tamil languages have been added as subjects in Malay- medium schools.
“It’s as though there is a move by the government to prioritise Malay-medium schools and phase out vernacular schools,” he said.Selecting a school for one's children is a matter of choice and certainly, "competition" in terms of offering options and improving the quality of education between different streams is a move which should be encouraged. I've written on my views which are supportive of offering mother tongue languages in national schools. Instead is the much delayed implementation of the programme, despite it being a key objective of the new Blueprint should be subject to criticism.
The availability of mother tongue education is only one of the factors affecting the parents decision to enrol students into national or vernacular schools. Two other overwhelming factors are the actual quality of education delivered as well as the perceived religiousification of the national schools.
If both streams of education seek to compete to provide better quality education in a 'secular' environment for non-Muslims, then the ultimate beneficiaries will be our future young Malaysians. Hence healthy competition should definitely not be obstructed. ;)
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Unified Examination for Doctors?
Less than 2 weeks ago, our Minister of Health announced the proposal for a “unified examination” for medical degree graduates seeking entry into our healthcare system.
These universities include 6 from Burma, 6 from Bangladesh, 11 from Indonesia, 14 from Pakistan, 4 from Iraq and even 1 from Uganda.
The simple question then to ask, is, whether the proposal by Dr Chua Soi Lek makes practical sense for all its good intent, and whether, we are trying to find a solution without addressing the crux of the issue.
As questioned in a letter to the Star from Savariath Beeve Meeralebei of Taiping, Perak, “What is the point of unified exams?”
Other related posts include:
This proposal culminates from the issue of inconsistency of the quality of recent graduates recruited both locally as well as those from foreign universities who has demonstrated substandard performance at our local hospitals.Medical graduates who studied overseas may have to sit for a unified medical examination and, whether their university is recognised or not, a pass in the examination would allow them to practise in Malaysia.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said this would ensure these graduates had the required standard and quality to practise medicine in the country.
“...we should not focus on quantity. The standard is more important,” he said, adding that there had lately been a drop in the quality of doctors.This blog is written extensively with regards to this issue, particularly on the fact that Malaysia recognises medical degree programmes from many third world universities with arguably dubious standards and standing.
These universities include 6 from Burma, 6 from Bangladesh, 11 from Indonesia, 14 from Pakistan, 4 from Iraq and even 1 from Uganda.
The simple question then to ask, is, whether the proposal by Dr Chua Soi Lek makes practical sense for all its good intent, and whether, we are trying to find a solution without addressing the crux of the issue.
As questioned in a letter to the Star from Savariath Beeve Meeralebei of Taiping, Perak, “What is the point of unified exams?”
I find the statement by the Health Minister about the unified medical exams for all overseas medical students very perplexing. It is confusing why the ministry continues recognising medical degrees from the Czech Republic and Taiwan, while several medical degrees in Poland are currently pending approval.And Savariath added a very relevant point, that is “the ministry should have known better than to use SPM as an entry requirement for first year of medicine in Egyptian universities.”
How will the introduction of this exam affect the fate of 490 SPM school-leavers currently pursuing medicine in Egypt? Another point to consider is will the Higher Education Ministry guideline for attaining the “No Objection Certificate” be a prerequisite for those leaving the country to be doctors?Savariath's point is very simple. If we are concerned about the quality of particular university which we have pre-approved for our Malaysian students to pursue their studies in Medicine, why should they be subjected to further examinations and tests on the same subjects? What will these students do, should they “fail” the proposed “unified examinations”, after having spent between 5-6 years to acquire their degrees at a significant cost to their parents?
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