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Kulitfication (skin colour qualification) rules in Malaysia’s education system, not merit or talent
Update
Zaid slams ‘fear’ of opening UiTM course to non-Bumis
FMT Reporters-03 May 2024, 10:35 AM
The former law minister says helping non-Malays enter the university’s cardiothoracic surgery programme would solve the nation’s problem.
Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim says there are no outstanding issues beyond the ‘perennial’ fear of opening UiTM to non-Bumiputeras.
PETALING JAYA: Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim today urged against allowing the fear of having more non-Malay doctors, nurses or lecturers stop Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) from opening its cardiothoracic surgery programme to non-Bumiputeras.
In a post on X, Zaid said there were no outstanding issues beyond the “perennial” fear of opening UiTM to non-Bumiputeras.
“This is Umno’s problem. Umno, it would help if you started looking at things differently. The nation must come first. We are short of all kinds of medical specialists in public health. We are short of nurses.
“UiTM was started to help Bumiputeras and should continue to do so. But today, we have to recognise that helping non-Malays enter UiTM also helps Bumiputeras by solving the nation’s problem.
“Umno must exorcise itself of this irrational fear. We are now one country with more significant problems but have enough resources to serve every group,” he said.
Zaid was responding to higher education minister Zambry Abd Kadir, who said there had been no discussions on opening UiTM’s cardiothoracic surgery postgraduate programme to non-Bumiputera students.
Zambry said several underlying issues, which he did not specify, needed to be addressed before the proposal to accept non-Bumiputera students could be considered.
“We haven’t engaged in any discussions yet, nor have we received official communication on this matter,” he was quoted as saying in a Berita Harian report.
“It is crucial to resolve the fundamental issues before delving into such proposals.”
KUALA LUMPUR, May 2, 2024: Malaysia will continue to lag further and further away in quality academic performance and human capital.
The brain drain and loss of talent will ensure that Malaysia will lag all others in Southeast-Asia and Asia.
What do you expected from a country and an administration that favours skin colour than merit and talent.
Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said there were no talks on opening UiTM’s cardiothoracic surgery programme to non-Bumis.
So, skin colour is the basis for qualification?
What talks? In the first place, qualification for tertiary education cannot be based on skin colour. That compromises quality and talent 100%!
No News Is Bad News reproduces below a news report on what Zambry was reported to have said and our past postings:
No talks on opening UiTM’s cardiothoracic surgery programme to non-Bumis, says Zambry
FMT Reporters-02 May 2024, 09:29 AM
The higher education minister says no official communication has been received on the matter.
Higher education minister Zambry Abd Kadir says fundamental issues must be resolved before any discussions on the proposal to open UiTM’s cardiothoracic surgery postgraduate programme to non-Bumiputera students.
PETALING JAYA: There have been no discussions on opening Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) cardiothoracic surgery postgraduate programme to non-Bumiputera students, says higher education minister Zambry Abd Kadir.
Zambry said several underlying issues need to be addressed before the proposal to accept non-Bumiputera students can be considered. However, he did not specify the nature of these issues.
“We haven’t engaged in any discussions yet, nor have we received official communication on this matter,” he was quoted as saying in a Berita Harian report.
“It is crucial to resolve the fundamental issues before delving into such proposals.”
Health news portal CodeBlue recently reported that UiTM was willing to “temporarily” accept non-Bumiputera trainees from parallel pathway programmes into its cardiothoracic surgery programme.
Dr Raja Amin Raja Mokhtar, from UiTM’s medical faculty, had suggested this as a solution to the non-recognition of some trainees’ qualifications.
Amin said his institution’s cardiothoracic surgery postgraduate programme with the National Heart Institute was the only programme of its kind offered locally.
UiTM received provisional recognition from the Malaysian Qualifications Agency in 2020 to conduct training courses for cardiothoracic surgeons.
The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) is currently involved in a controversy with specialists from the parallel pathway programme and graduates in medical genetics over the recognition of their qualifications for inclusion in the National Specialist Register.
In response to the ongoing dispute, four cardiothoracic surgeons qualified from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, alongside six graduates from Universiti Sains Malaysia, have filed a lawsuit against MMC.
On April 20, Zambry urged MMC and the specialists to resolve their differences on the recognition of qualifications.
Zambry, who facilitated a multi-agency discussion to address the conflict, said both sides must collaborate to support the nation’s severely strained healthcare system.
Last Friday, health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the health ministry would stand by its decision to amend the Medical Act to bridge the gap between the parallel pathway programme and the local medical degree programme.
Monday 29 April 2024
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.
Play
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.
Malaysia’s NATO (No Action Talk Only) Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. So, what is he doing about it?
Malaysia cannot move forward if it continues to remain in denial - PM
By Adib Povera, Qistina Sallehuddin - January 22, 2024 @ 2:42pm
Anwar said said all quarters must understand the country’s state of affairs and avoid from remaining in denial in order for the nation to move forward. - NSTP/ASWADI ALIAS
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's failure to move forward in many areas including in education was partly due the obsession of some quarters who failed to acknowledge existing faults, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
The Prime Minister said all quarters must understand the country's state of affairs and avoid from remaining in denial in order for the nation to move forward.
In his speech at the Global Intellectual Discourse "The Next 100 Years: Vision 2100 for Malaysia" here today, Anwar cited Malaysia's performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) 2022 as example how the failure to acknowledge faults of the education system in the past had affected its position in the global ranking.
"Now, we are not here to deny what we have achieved which is significant.. the (economic) growth, stronger unity and certain level (of improvement in) education (system).
Anwar cited Malaysia’s performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) 2022 as example how the failure to acknowledge faults of the education system in the past had affected its position in the global ranking. - NSTP/ASWADI ALIAS
"If we look at the bare facts, some of these are concerning. Let us refer to the latest Pisa report, which is a compelling case (of the country's) level of success.
"Out of 81 countries selected in the analysis, we are number 51 particularly in Science, Mathematics and English language. Even among seven Asean countries,we are the worst of all," he said.
Anwar added the outcome of the Pisa performance was disturbing.
"The standard excuse (given for the drop in Pisa performance) was because of Covid-19. But Covid-19 impacted all countries.
"We must know the state of our affairs, we cannot remain in a state of denial," he said.
National education system labelled ‘dismal failure’
26-01- 2024 08:22 AM
Stakeholders are calling for an overhaul of the education system. – ADIB RAWI YAHYA/THESUN
PETALING JAYA: In a scathing comment on the state of education in Malaysia, the Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) said poor policy implementation, lack of accountability and the intrusion of politics into education should immediately stop.
Its chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said these are the contributing factors that have led to the failure of the Malaysian education system.
She was commenting on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s speech on Jan 22 at the Global Intellectual Discourse titled “The Next 100 Years: Vision 2100 for Malaysia”.
He had said the country’s failure to move forward in many areas, including education, was partly due to the obsession of some quarters who failed to acknowledge existing faults.
Anwar cited Malaysia’s performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) 2022, on which the nation was ranked 51 out of 81 countries, specifically in Science, Mathematics and English.
He added that it was an example of how the failure to acknowledge faults in the education system had affected the country’s global ranking.
It was reported that Malaysia also ranked fourth in the 10-member Asean region, with Malaysia’s scores recording the biggest drop compared with Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Noor Azimah expressed disappointment over the fact that the recommendations of education-focused organisations had been ignored, highlighting the disregard for input from education stakeholders.
She said the current education system focuses solely on exam-oriented reading, which has led to a deterioration in the overall reading culture among students.
“We need a more collaborative approach for the benefit of our children’s education. It’s disheartening to see the Education Ministry resisting initiatives that aim to improve English language proficiency.
“For many years, we have been struggling to improve English language proficiency and promote English for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects.”
Noor Azimah said as PAGE champions improvements in education, including the English language, its call is now resonating across the country.
“Support for our call to prioritise and foster a more comprehensive and diverse approach to developing a well-rounded education system that extends beyond the confines of exam-focused content is now growing.”
LeapEd Services executive director Nina Adlan Disney, whose social enterprise is committed to education transformation, highlighted the need to shift from content mastery to learning mastery, which is a broader concept that goes beyond mere content knowledge.
“The current education system focuses on students’ understanding and proficiency in a specific subject or topic and produces high scores on assessments.
“But if learning mastery is implemented, it would help students to learn specific subject matters and develop critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities and the capacity to transfer knowledge from one domain to another.”
Nina Adlan, who was previously a private university dean and Malaysia Airlines Academy CEO, said the education system suffers from implementation deficiencies, and there is a lack of robust, authentic monitoring and evaluation of the system.
She said the decline in Pisa rankings indicates deep-rooted issues that need immediate attention.
“LeapEd Services was established with the primary goal of addressing the talent gap arising from central issues in student outcomes. Despite producing students with good academic results, they fall behind in critical thinking, confidence and communication skills, particularly in English.”
She added that the emphasis in teaching is merely to pass examinations rather than to encourage learning.
“Despite the country’s significant commitment to education, it is crucial to acknowledge pain points with transparency and accountability to develop data-driven, evidence-based solutions.
“Rigorous baselining activities need to be conducted to understand every student’s unique needs, and avoid the one-size-fits-all approach,” she added. - theSun
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