This is one of the many reasons why Malaysia is losing her brains

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This is one of the many reasons why Malaysia is losing her brains

KUALA LUMPUR, April 30, 2024: The above image was found posted on Facebook.

For more than two decades, Malaysia has been losing top students to other countries. And there are many Dr Lam Shu Jie stories that plague Malaysia.

These students are forced to “flee” Malaysia because they are unable to gain entry into public universities to pursue their preferred tertiary education programme.

Today, Malaysia is unable to halt her brain drain woes, thus it is saddled with an economy that is struggling for talent and quality human capital.

Can Malaysia really grow socio-economically with its current education system and policies? Continue with the kulitfication (skin qualification) if you think so and we will see where Malaysia gets to in another decade or two.

No News Is Bad News reproduces below our posting on what Heriot-Watt University Malaysia CEO Mushtak Al-Atabi says about Malaysia's academic woes and what former minister Rafidah Aziz lamented on our education system:

Take inspiration from Vietnam to boost Pisa scores, says varsity chief

Tan Chin Tung-30 Apr 2024, 08:30 AM

Mushtak Al-Atabi of Heriot-Watt University Malaysia calls for a long-term plan aimed at cultivating students’ critical thinking skills.

 Mushtak Al-Atabi of Heriot-Watt University Malaysia calls for a long-term plan aimed at cultivating students’ critical thinking skills, which will ultimately boost the nation’s Pisa scores.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia should take inspiration from Vietnam’s improved performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) scholastic rankings and work towards improving its own scores, says an academic.

Mushtak Al-Atabi, the provost and CEO of Heriot-Watt University Malaysia, said Vietnam showed steep improvement over the years, with more than 70% of its students achieving proficiency in reading, mathematics and science.

It now ranks second in the Asean region after Singapore, despite experiencing a drop in its scores between 2018 to 2022, a trend observed worldwide that could be partly attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic.

 Mushtak Al-Atabi.

On the other hand, Malaysia has fallen behind Vietnam, Singapore and Brunei in overall Pisa scores, according to deputy education minister Wong Kah Woh.

“Vietnam is a country that we don’t necessarily associate with being rich or full of resources. So if Vietnam or Indonesia can do something, hopefully, this can inspire us to do better,” he told FMT.

In last year’s Pisa report, 15-year-olds in Malaysia scored 409 in mathematics (down from 440) and 416 in science (down from 438 in 2018). In reading, Malaysians scored 388, down from 415.

The figure is equivalent to only 1.2% of Malaysian students excelling at math, and 0.5% at science. Less than half of them, just 42%, were good at reading.

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Mushtak, who is also the chairman of the Vice Chancellors’ Council for Private Universities, said Malaysia could also take a leaf from Finland, which had established a successful education system, even though its Pisa scores had been on a decline since 2006.

Finland had not always had a high level of achievement but made changes that were relevant to them. “The most important thing here is that this situation can be remedied,” he said.

No time for pointing fingers

Mushtak said now was not the time for anyone to play the blame game over the drop in Pisa scores.

“We have to sit down, come up with a very well-thought-out plan and stick with it. We need to be very patient and realise we are not just dealing with the future of our youths, but also the future of the country.”

Academics previously slammed the government for its inaction after Malaysia’s drop in its Pisa scores, with education minister Fadhlina Sidek citing the Covid-19 pandemic as one of the factors that contributed to the decline in students’ performance.

Mushtak urged educators and national leaders to commit to a long-term plan aimed at cultivating children’s “higher-order thinking skills” as soon as they enrol in kindergarten.

He said this would ultimately lead to improvements in the nation’s Pisa scores.

“Many people think a low Pisa score means our kids don’t know math or science, and that they can’t read. It’s not exactly that. Pisa focuses on what we call higher-order thinking skills, which refers to the application of knowledge to real-life situations.

“Are we developing informed citizens who are able to discern what is correct and what is designed to deceive?”

The Pisa study serves to gauge the readiness of 15-year-olds who receive formal education to seamlessly adapt to contemporary society.

Mushtak said the government would first need to make teaching a highly respected and well-paid profession before tackling the issue of dismal Pisa scores.

“We need to ensure the youth, who are passionate about teaching and possessive of ‘higher-order thinking skills’, are interested in joining the profession.”

Monday 29 April 2024

Rafidah: Reform education system now before Malaysia falls far behind in competitiveness and socio-economic development

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Rafidah: Reform education system now before Malaysia falls far behind in competitiveness and socio-economic development

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29, 2024: Much have been lamented about Malaysia’s education system which does not promote quality academic achievements.

As longs as the system is not based on merit but skin colour, Malaysia will never be able to produce quality graduates and talented human capital.

Also, the worsening of the brain drain woes that will cripple the country's productivity.

The latest call to reform the education now is former minister Rafidah Aziz following a “worrisome” World Bank Report.

No News Is Bad News reproduces below a news report on what Rafidah lamented:

Reform education system now, says Rafidah after ‘worrisome’ World Bank report

FMT Reporters-29 Apr 2024, 05:06 PM

The former minister says failure to address the issues highlighted will cause Malaysia to fall behind in competitiveness and socioeconomic development.

 

Rafidah Aziz said the country’s education system must be able to produce a skilled and capable workforce in line with market demands.

PETALING JAYA: Former minister Rafidah Aziz has called for immediate reforms in the education sector after a recent World Bank report which painted a “worrisome” picture about the country’s education standards.

The report titled “Bending Bamboo Shoots: Strengthening Foundation Skills”, found that Malaysian students spend an average of 12.5 years in school but learn the equivalent of only 8.9 years.

It also said 42% of Malaysian students have failed to achieve reading proficiency by the end of Standard 5, which is higher than other countries with similar gross national income per capita (34%).

In a statement to FMT, Rafidah said failure to address these issues will cause Malaysia to lag “far behind” in crucial aspects such as competitiveness and socioeconomic development.

“Immediate reform is needed in various areas (such as) education policies, structure, system, content and delivery,” she said.

“Today’s children are the workforce of the future. Therefore, they must be equipped with the education, training and skills required by the economic and socioeconomic environment, which is increasingly specific and facing rapid changes.

“The training of teachers and educators is extremely important so there are no gaps, and (lessons) align with current and future needs, as well as the demands of the country’s economic sector.”

She also said the country’s education system must be able to produce a skilled and capable workforce in line with market demands.

Rafidah suggested that the government conduct brainstorming sessions and meetings with experts and stakeholders in the field of education and pedagogy to find ways to address the issues highlighted in the World Bank report, published last Thursday.

The report said by the time a child in Malaysia is 15 years old, it is “far behind” in reading, science and mathematics compared to Malaysia’s aspirational peers, such as Hong Kong, China, Japan and Singapore.

“This child is also performing below his/her peers in Vietnam, which spends a fraction of what Malaysia spends on education,” it said.

Apart from limited access to quality early childhood education, the World Bank noted that teacher preparedness and a lack of robust performance tracking systems were other issues contributing to poor educational outcomes observed in Malaysia.

It proposed expanding access and quality of preschool education, implementing standardised learning assessments, and providing ongoing professional development for teachers based on international best practices.